走馬觀花
简 走马观花 · 繁 走馬觀花Meanings
- lit. flower viewing from horseback (idiom); a fleeting glance in passing
- fig. superficial understanding from cursory observation
- to make a quick judgment based on inadequate information
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Mandarin tones
3–3–1–1 · zou3 ma3 guan1 hua1
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Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
走馬觀花 · find source passages ↗ · 走马观花 · find source passages ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
zau2 maa5 gun1 faa1
Cantonese word readings for 走馬觀花. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
phrase
- (figurative) to make a hurried and cursory observation; to gain only a superficial understanding of something
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
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