📖 Meaning
A blind person riding a blind horse. It is a metaphor for acting blindly without any understanding of the situation, leading to extremely dangerous consequences. The image evokes someone heading toward disaster with no ability to see the danger ahead.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from 'A New Account of the Tales of the World' (世说新语) by Liu Yiqing of the Southern Dynasties, Song period. In the chapter on banter and teasing, several scholars competed to describe the most perilous situation. One described 'a blind man riding a blind horse approaching a deep pool at midnight,' illustrating the ultimate image of unseen danger. The phrase became a lasting metaphor for reckless, blind action courting catastrophe.
💡 Example Usage
没有调查研究就做决定，无异于盲人瞎马，迟早要出事。
Making decisions without investigation is like a blind man on a blind horse—sooner or later, disaster will strike.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 盲人瞎马
- Pinyin: máng rén xiā mǎ
- Literal Translation: blind, person, blind, horse
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4