老馬識途

See also: 老马识途

Chinese

	old; aged; venerable old; aged; venerable; outdated; experienced; (affectionate prefix)	horse; surname	to record; write a footnote; to know to record; write a footnote; to know; knowledge	way; route; road
trad. (老馬識途)	老	馬	識	途
simp. (老马识途)	老	马	识	途
Literally: “an old horse knows the way”.

Etymology

From a story in Han Feizi, Chapter 22 (《韓非子·說林上》):

管仲、隰朋從於桓公而伐孤竹，春往冬反，迷惑失道，管仲曰：「老馬之智可用也。」乃放老馬而隨之，遂得道。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

管仲、隰朋从于桓公而伐孤竹，春往冬反，迷惑失道，管仲曰：「老马之智可用也。」乃放老马而随之，遂得道。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Han Feizi, circa 2^nd century BCE, translated based on W. K. Liao's version

Guǎn Zhòng, Xí Péng cóng yú Huán gōng ér fá Gūzhú, chūn wǎng dōng fǎn, míhuò shī dào, Guǎn Zhòng yuē: “Lǎo mǎ zhī zhì kě yòng yě.” Nǎi fàng lǎo mǎ ér suí zhī, suì dé dào. [Pinyin]

Guan Zhong and Xi Peng (隰朋) accompanied Duke Huan in the expedition against Guzhu. When spring was gone and winter came again, they went astray and lost the way. Thereupon Guan Zhong said: "The wisdom of old horses is trustworthy." So they let old horses go of themselves and followed them from behind, till they found the way.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): lǎomǎshítú, lǎomǎshìtú

(Zhuyin): ㄌㄠˇ ㄇㄚˇ ㄕˊ ㄊㄨˊ, ㄌㄠˇ ㄇㄚˇ ㄕˋ ㄊㄨˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): lou⁵ maa⁵ sik¹ tou⁴
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): ló-má-sek-tô͘

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: lǎomǎshítú [Phonetic: láomǎshítú]
  - Zhuyin: ㄌㄠˇ ㄇㄚˇ ㄕˊ ㄊㄨˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: lǎomǎshíhtú
  - Wade–Giles: lao³-ma³-shih²-tʻu²
  - Yale: lǎu-mǎ-shŕ-tú
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: laomaashyrtwu
  - Palladius: лаомашиту (laomašitu)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩³⁵ tʰu³⁵/
- (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: lǎomǎshìtú [Phonetic: láomǎshìtú]
  - Zhuyin: ㄌㄠˇ ㄇㄚˇ ㄕˋ ㄊㄨˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: lǎomǎshìhtú
  - Wade–Giles: lao³-ma³-shih⁴-tʻu²
  - Yale: lǎu-mǎ-shr̀-tú
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: laomaashyhtwu
  - Palladius: лаомашиту (laomašitu)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻³⁵ mä²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ tʰu³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: lou⁵ maa⁵ sik¹ tou⁴
  - Yale: lóuh máh sīk tòuh
  - Cantonese Pinyin: lou⁵ maa⁵ sik⁷ tou⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: lou⁵ ma⁵ xig¹ tou⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lou̯¹³ maː¹³ sɪk̚⁵ tʰou̯²¹/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ló-má-sek-tô͘
  - Tâi-lô: ló-má-sik-tôo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: loymafsekdoo
  - IPA (Xiamen): /lo⁵³⁻⁴⁴ mã⁵³⁻⁴⁴ siɪk̚³²⁻⁴ tɔ²⁴/

Idiom

老馬識途

an experienced worker knows what to do; an old hand knows the ropes

Descendants

→ Vietnamese: ngựa quen đường cũ (calque)