“Seeking an excellent horse according to drawings” is a Chinese idiom that means “using a hackneyed method” or “lacking originality, initiative, or imagination in handling affairs.”
The idiom comes from a story about a man named Sun Yang who lived in China during the Spring and Autumn Period (770–476 B.C.) and who was said to have an outstanding ability to appraise and understand horses.
Almost at a glance, Sun Yang could recognize the type of horse, its strengths and weaknesses, and any special characteristics. He was known to be able to select horses of extraordinary stamina—ones that could run a thousand miles a day.
People referred to Sun Yang as Bo Le, the deity in charge of heavenly steeds.
Based on his expert knowledge and experience of appraising horses, Sun Yang wrote a book called “The Art and Principles of Appraising Horses.” He included drawings of horses and explained the characteristics of the “thousand-mile horse” in his book.
