📖 Meaning
The idiom originally describes a blind person tapping the ground with a staff to find their way forward. It is used metaphorically to describe groping blindly or searching for a solution without clear direction.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom appears in Su Shi's (苏轼) collected works, in his essay recording Shan E's discourse on water conservancy in the Wu region (录单锷吴中水利书). In the passage, someone dismisses floods as heaven's will, comparing the attempt to steer a small boat across vast floodwaters to a blind person tapping the earth to find a path—implying the task seemed impossible. Su Shi used this striking image of a sightless traveler probing the ground to illustrate the futility of seeking solutions amid overwhelming confusion.
💡 Example Usage
面对陌生的研究领域，他犹如擿埴索途般艰难前行。
Facing an unfamiliar field of research, he struggled forward as if groping blindly for a path.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 擿埴索途
- Pinyin: zhāi zhí suǒ tú
- Literal Translation: tap the earth, seek the path
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4