老马识途 lǎo mǎ shí tú Old horse knows the way

Explanation

老马识途，比喻有经验的人对事情比较熟悉，能轻易地找到解决问题的方法，如同老马走过熟悉的道路一般。

The idiom "old horse knows the way" is used to describe someone who is experienced and familiar with something, making them able to find solutions easily, just like an old horse knows its way around a familiar path.

Origin Story

春秋时期，齐桓公率领军队攻打山戎。山戎首领密庐逃到孤竹国，孤竹国君答里呵听从宰相兀律的建议，杀掉密庐并假装投降齐军，然后把齐军引到一片荒芜的沙漠中。齐桓公的军队迷路了，士兵们都十分惊慌，齐桓公也感到非常担忧。这时，管仲站出来，说：“老马认识路，我们可以利用它们。”于是，管仲命人挑选了几匹老马，让它们带路。老马们经过沙漠，一路走走停停，最终找到了返回齐国的道路。齐桓公的军队顺利地回到了齐国，并最终攻占了孤竹国。

chūn qiū shí qī, qí huán gōng shuài lǐng jūn duì gōng dá shān róng. shān róng shǒu lǐng mì lú táo dào gū zhú guó, gū zhú guó jūn dá lǐ hē tīng cóng zǎi xiàng wù lǜ de jiàn yì, shā diào mì lú bìng jiǎ zhuāng tóu xiáng qí jūn, rán hòu bǎ qí jūn yǐn dào yī piàn hāng wú de shā mò zhōng. qí huán gōng de jūn duì mí lù le, bīng shì men dōu shí fēn jīng huāng, qí huán gōng yě gǎn dào fēi cháng dān yōu. zhè shí, guǎn zhòng zhàn chū lái, shuō:“lǎo mǎ rèn shí lù, wǒ men kě yǐ lì yòng tā men.” yú shì, guǎn zhòng mìng rén tiǎo xuǎn le jǐ pǐ lǎo mǎ, ràng tā men dài lù. lǎo mǎ men jīng guò shā mò, yī lù zǒu zǒu tíng tíng, zhōng jiū zhǎo dào le huí guó de dào lù. qí huán gōng de jūn duì shù lì de huí dào le qí guó, bìng zhōng jiū gōng zhàn le gū zhú guó。

During the Spring and Autumn Period, Duke Huan of Qi led his army to attack the Shanrong. Mi Lu, the leader of the Shanrong, fled to the kingdom of Guzhu. Dalihe, the king of Guzhu, followed the advice of his chancellor Wulu, killed Mi Lu and pretended to surrender to the army of Qi, and then led them into a desolate desert. Duke Huan's army was lost, the soldiers were very frightened, and Duke Huan was also very worried. At this time, Guan Zhong stepped forward and said:

Usage

这个成语比喻有经验的人对事情比较熟悉。在日常生活中，我们可以用来形容那些在某个领域有着丰富经验的人，他们可以轻松地应对各种问题，就像老马认识路一样。

zhè ge chéng yǔ bǐ yù yǒu jīng yàn de rén duì shì qíng bǐ jiào shú xí. zài rì cháng shēng huó zhōng, wǒ men kě yǐ yòng lái xíng róng nà xiē zài mǒu ge lǐng yù yǒu zhe fēng fù jīng yàn de rén, tā men kě yǐ qīng sōng de yìng duì gè zhǒng wèn tí, jiù xiàng lǎo mǎ rèn shí lù yī yàng。

This idiom means that experienced people are more familiar with things. In daily life, we can use it to describe those who have rich experience in a certain field, they can easily cope with all kinds of problems, just like an old horse knows the way.

Examples

• 老张是做生意的老手，在商场上～，经验丰富。

  lǎo zhāng shì zuò shēng yì de lǎo shǒu, zài shāng chǎng shàng lǎo mǎ shí tú, jīng yàn fēng fù.

  Old Zhang is a seasoned businessman, with a wealth of experience in the market.

• 虽然我们刚到这儿，但你放心，我～，这附近的路线都非常熟悉。

  suī rán wǒ men gāng dào zhè er, dàn nǐ fàng xīn, wǒ lǎo mǎ shí tú, zhè fù jìn de lù xiàn dōu fēi cháng shú xí。

  Even though we just arrived here, don't worry, I know my way around, I'm very familiar with the roads in this area.

Related Idioms

• 识途老马

• 驾轻就熟

• 轻车熟路

Opposite Idioms

• 初出茅庐

• 经验不足

• 无知无识