骑驴觅驴 — “Riding a donkey to look for a donkey”
骑驴觅驴 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to search everywhere for something that is already in one's possession or right in front of them, often failing to recognize it. It can also refer to holding onto one position while seeking a better one”. Literally, “Riding a donkey to look for a donkey”.
骑驴觅驴 Pronunciation and Pinyin
骑驴觅驴 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 骑驴觅驴
Origin and Story of 骑驴觅驴
Once upon a time, a man named Wang San was herding five donkeys to the market to sell, riding on one of them himself.
Halfway there, he wanted to count the donkeys but found only four, which made him feel puzzled. He counted again, and still, there were only four.
So, he dismounted and counted again, and all five donkeys were there. It was then that he suddenly realized he had been 'riding a donkey to look for a donkey,' having forgotten about the one he was sitting on.
Idioms Related to 骑驴觅驴
Synonyms of 骑驴觅驴
More idioms starting with 骑
- qí骑shàng上yáng扬zhōu州hè鹤Covet multiple grand desires simultaneously
- qí骑yáng扬zhōu州hè鹤Desire high office, wealth, and immortality simultaneously
- qí骑cáo曹bù不jì记mǎ马high-minded, detached from practical matters
- qí骑niú牛dú读hàn汉shū书diligent study despite inconvenient circumstances
- qí骑zhě者shàn善zhuì坠Even experts can make mistakes
- qí骑zhě者shàn善duò堕Even experts make mistakes
- qí骑hǔ虎nán难xià下caught in an inescapable predicament
- qí骑mǎ马chéng乘zhōu舟apply theories dogmatically and unrealistically
- qí骑mǎ马xún寻mǎ马Greedy for more benefits
- qí骑mǎ马dǐng顶bāo包confuse priorities or proper order
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Open the tool →Questions about 骑驴觅驴
What does 骑驴觅驴 mean?
骑驴觅驴 (qí lǘ mì lǘ) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “to search everywhere for something that is already in one's possession or right in front of them, often failing to recognize it. It can also refer to holding onto one position while seeking a better one”.
How do you pronounce 骑驴觅驴?
骑驴觅驴 is pronounced qí lǘ mì lǘ in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 骑驴觅驴 literally mean?
Literally, 骑驴觅驴 means “Riding a donkey to look for a donkey”. It is used to mean “to search everywhere for something that is already in one's possession or right in front of them, often failing to recognize it. It can also refer to holding onto one position while seeking a better one”.
Where does 骑驴觅驴 come from?
骑驴觅驴 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 骑驴觅驴?
骑着驴去找别的驴。原比喻一面占着一个位置，一面去另找更称心的工作。现多比喻东西就在自己这里，还到处去找。