📖 Meaning
This idiom describes blindly imitating others to the point of losing one's own original abilities or strengths. It originates from a story of a young man who went to learn the elegant walking style of Handan but failed, forgot his own gait, and had to crawl home. It serves as a warning against losing one's identity through mindless imitation.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom comes from the chapter 'Autumn Floods' (秋水) in Zhuangzi, the philosophical work by the Daoist thinker Zhuang Zhou of the Warring States period. It tells of a young man from Shouling who traveled to the Zhao capital of Handan, renowned for its people's graceful gait. Unable to master the Handan walk and having also forgotten his own way of walking, he had to crawl back home on all fours. The tale satirizes those who blindly copy others and end up losing their own identity and skills.
💡 Example Usage
生搬硬套外企模式，终至邯郸匍匐，连自身特色也没了。
Rigidly copying the foreign company's model ended in a Handan-style crawl, where he lost even his own distinguishing features.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 邯郸匍匐
- Pinyin: hán dān pú fú
- Literal Translation: Handan, crawl
- Category: Learning
- Characters: 4