Idiom Explanation:
马首是瞻：Originally, it refers to a soldier who looks at the head of the general’s horse in battle. Later, it refers to obeying the command or following someone.
Pronunciation:
马首是瞻
mǎ shǒu shì zhān
origin:
《左传·襄公十四年》：鸡鸣而驾，塞井夷灶，唯余马首是瞻。
story:
During the Spring and Autumn Period, Jin united with Qi, Lu, Song and other vassal states to attack Qin. The allied army, under the command of Xun Yan, the great general of Jin, marched westward. Soon, it came to the Jing River.
Xun Yan thought that the Qin army would be panic-stricken when the twelve kingdoms joined forces to attack Qin. However, the Duke of Qin had already learned that the hearts of the allied troops were not united and their morale was low, so he was not timid and did not want to seek peace. But the army was so disorganized that no one would cross the river first when they reached the Jing River. They saw the vassal armies standing on the river bank, and no one refused to cross the river first. After some arguments, the allied forces decided to draw lots to decide who would cross the river first. As a result, the Lu army caught the lot. The Lu army took the lead in crossing the river and the allied troops followed.
The leader of the Qin army upstream of the Jing River saw the armies of the vassal states concentrated at the river, so he conferred with his men, “It looks like the allied armies of the vassals are preparing to cross the river, we have to find a way to stop them from coming.” Then, he quietly threw poison into the river. The allied troops drank from the river and a large number of soldiers died of poison. The allied troops were in a state of panic and chaos. One of the generals of the allied army suggested, “The Qin army has already poisoned many of our soldiers, if we go further, there is no telling what other traps are waiting for us to step into! Let’s retreat!”
Xun Yan, seeing this situation, had no choice but to issue an order to all the generals, saying, “Tomorrow morning, when the rooster crows, all the troops must drive their chariots, fill in the wells and dismantle the stoves, and attack only at my head!” It means that tomorrow morning, as soon as the rooster crows, they will start to drive their chariots. All armies must fill in the wells and tear down the stoves. When we fight, the whole army will look at the head of my horse to determine the direction of action. I run to where, everyone will follow.
The generals of Xun Yan’s army thought that Xun Yan’s feigned order was too arbitrary, saying, “Jin has never given such an order, so why should we listen to him? What’s more, Qin is so powerful, let’s go back!” The general’s lieutenant said, “He is our head, I will listen to him.” So he also led his own group towards the east. In this way, the whole army was in confusion.
Xun Yan lost his lower army and looked up to heaven and sighed, “Since the orders I gave cannot be carried out, there will be no hope of victory, and an engagement will certainly give the Qin army the advantage.” He had to order the whole army to withdraw back.
Similar Idioms:
- 惟命是从
- 亦步亦趋
