Idiom Explanation:
The old horse can recognize the path taken. The metaphor is that someone rich in experience is familiar with the situation and can play a guiding role in the work.
Pronunciation:
老马识途
rú zuò zhēn zhān
Origin:
《韩非子·说林上》：管仲、隰朋从于桓公伐孤竹，春往冬返，迷惑失道。管仲曰：‘老马之智可用也。’乃放老马而随之。遂得道。
Story:
In 679 B.C., Duke Huan of Qi summoned all the vassal states to make an alliance, and more than ten participating vassal states of the Central Plains also took an oath. The main contents were as follows: to respect the Son of Zhou and help the royal family; to defend against foreigners and forbid them to attack the Central Plains; and to help the weak and needy vassal states. Thus, Duke Huan of Qi became the first of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period.
The first foreign invasion was called Shanrong, which had an area of influence in northern Hebei, western Liaoning and southeastern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and had established several small states on its land, such as Kuzhu, Lingzhi and Wujin. The Shanrong had nothing to do but run to the Central Plains to grab some things and cause some trouble, and had also provoked several large-scale wars, and the one who was bullied the most was the State of Yan.
In 663 BC, Duke Huan of Qi was having a discussion with Guan Zhong when a messenger from Yan asked for help, saying that Shan Rong had invaded Yan again and he wanted Qi to send troops to support him. The Duke of Qi decided to lead his own army to help Yan, and Guan Zhong, the minister, and Xi Peng, the doctor, went with him.
The Qi army had a smooth journey and destroyed the small state of Lingzhi among the Shanrong. When they found out that the ruler of Lingzhi had fled to the state of Luzhu, they marched to the state of Luzhu. The king of Luzhu was panicked, and then adopted Marshal Huang Hua’s plan to lure the Qi army to a place called the Dry Sea, north of the Luzhu Kingdom. No one who entered the dry sea was heard of who came out alive.
Duke Huan of Qi was really trapped, and his army went around and around in a valley in the mountains, and finally got lost and could not find the way back. Guan Zhong sent several soldiers and horses to explore the road, but the search was like entering a maze. As time went on, the army had difficulty in feeding itself. The situation was so critical that if they could not find a way out, the army would be trapped and die here. Guan Zhong pondered for a long time, but suddenly his eyes lit up and he said to Duke Huan of Qi, “My Lord, there is a way out! I heard that the old horses know the way, the local horses must be familiar with the terrain in this area, we just need to choose a few old horses to lead the way, we can definitely lead the army out of the valley.” Duke Huan of Qi agreed to give it a try. Guan Zhong immediately picked out some old horses, untied them, and let them walk freely in the front of the army. The old horses turned left and right and led the Qi army out of the valley in less than two hours.
The Qi army came out of the lost valley and returned to the capital city of Lone Bamboo along the same road. The king of Lone Bamboo suddenly heard the sound of drums and trumpets outside the city. He rushed to the city walls and saw that the Qi army had arrived at the city and surrounded it. It was dawn. The Duke of Huan and Guan Zhong entered the city. The Duke of Huan waved his sword and chopped the head of the king of Luzhu to the ground. The kingdom of Luzhu disappeared, however, the story of “The Old Horse Knows the Way” has been passed down to this day.
Similar Idioms:
- 熟能生巧
