馬首是瞻

Chinese

		horse; surname	head; chief; first (occasion) head; chief; first (occasion); first (thing); measure word for poems	be; yes; this	gaze; view
trad. (馬首是瞻)		馬	首	是	瞻
simp. (马首是瞻)		马	首	是	瞻

Etymology

From Zuo Zhuan, Duke Xiang, Year 14 (《左傳·襄公十四年》):

荀偃令曰：「雞鳴而駕，塞井夷灶，唯余馬首是瞻！」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

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荀偃令曰：「鸡鸣而驾，塞井夷灶，唯余马首是瞻！」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Xún Yǎn lìng yuē: “Jīmíng ér jià, sè jǐng yí zào, wéi yú mǎshǒu shì zhān!” [Pinyin]

Xun Yan (荀偃) ordered, "At cockcrow, yoke your chariots, fill up the wells and level your furnaces. Look only at my horses' heads, [and follow me]!"

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): mǎshǒushìzhān

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄚˇ ㄕㄡˇ ㄕˋ ㄓㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): maa⁵ sau² si⁶ zim¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: mǎshǒushìzhān [Phonetic: máshǒushìzhān]
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄚˇ ㄕㄡˇ ㄕˋ ㄓㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: mǎshǒushìhjhan
    • Wade–Giles: ma³-shou³-shih⁴-chan¹
    • Yale: mǎ-shǒu-shr̀-jān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: maashooushyhjan
    • Palladius: машоушичжань (mašoušičžanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʂoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʂʐ̩⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂän⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: maa⁵ sau² si⁶ zim¹
    • Yale: máh sáu sih jīm
    • Cantonese Pinyin: maa⁵ sau² si⁶ dzim¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: ma⁵ seo² xi⁶ jim¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /maː¹³ sɐu̯³⁵ siː²² t͡siːm⁵⁵/

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• Middle Chinese: maeX syuwX dzyeX tsyem

Rime
Character	馬	首	是	瞻
Reading #	1/1	1/2	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	書 (26)	常 (25)	章 (23)
Final (韻)	麻 (98)	尤 (136)	支 (11)	鹽 (153)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Rising (X)	Rising (X)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	II	III	III	III
Fanqie	莫下切	書九切	承紙切	職廉切
Baxter	maeX	syuwX	dzyeX	tsyem
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/mˠaX/	/ɕɨuX/	/d͡ʑiᴇX/	/t͡ɕiᴇm/
Pan Wuyun	/mᵚaX/	/ɕiuX/	/d͡ʑiɛX/	/t͡ɕiɛm/
Shao Rongfen	/maX/	/ɕiəuX/	/d͡ʑjɛX/	/t͡ɕjæm/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/maɨX/	/ɕuwX/	/d͡ʑiə̆X/	/ciam/
Li Rong	/maX/	/ɕiuX/	/ʑieX/	/t͡ɕiɛm/
Wang Li	/maX/	/ɕĭəuX/	/ʑǐeX/	/t͡ɕĭɛm/
Bernard Karlgren	/maX/	/ɕi̯ə̯uX/	/ʑie̯X/	/t͡ɕi̯ɛm/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	mǎ	shǒu	shì	zhān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	maa5	sau2	si6	zim1

Idiom

馬首是瞻

1. to regard someone as the leader and follow his or her orders

Usage notes

Although generally considered as a chengyu, this term almost always appears as part of the construct 唯……馬首是瞻, which is an instance of the general pattern 唯……是……. Compare 唯命是從／唯命是从 (wéimìngshìcóng) and 唯利是圖／唯利是图 (wéilìshìtú).