马首是瞻 Mǎ shǒu shì zhān to follow the lead horse

Explanation

比喻追随某人行动，一切听从某人的指挥。

A metaphor for blindly following someone, obeying all of someone's commands.

Origin Story

春秋时期，晋国和秦国发生战争。晋军统帅栾偃在指挥作战时，经常观察敌军的情况。他发现敌军行动很有规律，总是跟着他们的旗帜走，无论遇到什么情况，都是马首是瞻。栾偃根据这一特点，利用计策迷惑敌人，使敌军陷入困境，最终取得了战争的胜利。

chūnqiū shíqī, jìn guó hé qín guó fāshēng zhànzhēng. jìn jūn tǒngshuài luán yǎn zài zhǐhuī zuòzhàn shí, jīngcháng guāncchá dírjūn de qíngkuàng. tā fāxiàn dírjūn xíngdòng hěn yǒu guīlǜ, zǒngshì gēn zhe tāmen de qízhì zǒu, wúlùn yùndào shénme qíngkuàng, dōu shì mǎ shǒu shì zhān. luán yǎn gēnjù zhè yī tèdiǎn, lìyòng jìcè míhuò dírén, shǐ dírjūn xiànrù kùnjìng, zuìzhōng qǔdéle zhànzhēng de shènglì.

During the Spring and Autumn period, the Kingdom of Jin and the Kingdom of Qin were at war. During battles, the Jin army commander Luan Yan often observed the situation of the enemy. He noticed a pattern—the enemy troops always moved in accordance with the direction of their flag, blindly following the lead horse. Luan Yan cleverly used this characteristic to his advantage, employing tactics to confuse the enemy and leading them into a trap, ultimately resulting in a decisive victory.

Usage

常用于形容军队或群体行动一致，服从命令的情况。

cháng yòng yú xíngróng jūnduì huò qūntǐ xíngdòng yīzhì, fúcóng mìnglìng de qíngkuàng.

Often used to describe the situation where troops or groups act in unison and obey orders.

Examples

• 军队全体将士都以将军的命令为准绳，马首是瞻。

  jundui quantǐ jiangshì dōu yǐ jiāngjūn de mìnglìng wéi zhǔnshéng, mǎ shǒu shì zhān.

  All the soldiers followed the general's orders blindly.

• 这场战役，敌军马首是瞻，行动一致，我们必须制定周密的计划才能取胜。

  zhè chǎng zhànyì, dírjun mǎ shǒu shì zhān, xíngdòng yīzhì, wǒmen bìxū zhìdìng zhōumì de jìhuà cáinéng qǔshèng

  In this battle, the enemy troops acted in unison, and we must develop a thorough plan to win

Related Idioms

• 唯命是从

• 步调一致

Opposite Idioms

• 我行我素

• 另辟蹊径