走马观花
zǒu mǎ guān huā
Pinyin

Definition

走马观花
 - 
zǒu mǎ guān huā
  1. lit. flower viewing from horseback (idiom); a fleeting glance in passing
  2. fig. superficial understanding from cursory observation
  3. to make a quick judgment based on inadequate information

Character Decomposition

Related Words (20)

烟花
yān huā
  1. 1 fireworks
  2. 2 prostitute (esp. in Yuan theater)
花
Huā
  1. 1 surname Hua
走
zǒu
  1. 1 to walk
  2. 2 to go
  3. 3 to run
  4. 4 to move (of vehicle)
  5. 5 to visit
  6. 6 to leave
  7. 7 to go away
  8. 8 to die (euph.)
  9. 9 from
  10. 10 through
  11. 11 away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走[chè zǒu])
  12. 12 to change (shape, form, meaning)
雪花
xuě huā
  1. 1 snowflake
五花肉
wǔ huā ròu
  1. 1 pork belly
  2. 2 streaky pork
出走
chū zǒu
  1. 1 to leave home
  2. 2 to go off
  3. 3 to run away
印花
yìn huā
  1. 1 tax stamp
大丽花
dà lì huā
  1. 1 dahlia (loanword)
天花板
tiān huā bǎn
  1. 1 ceiling
奔走
bēn zǒu
  1. 1 to run
  2. 2 to rush about
  3. 3 to be on the go
如花
rú huā
  1. 1 flowery
带走
dài zǒu
  1. 1 to carry
  2. 2 to take away
心花怒放
xīn huā nù fàng
  1. 1 to burst with joy (idiom)
  2. 2 to be over the moon
  3. 3 to be elated
拿走
ná zǒu
  1. 1 to take away
挑花眼
tiǎo huā yǎn
  1. 1 (fig.) to get cross-eyed
  2. 2 to be bewildered
抢走
qiǎng zǒu
  1. 1 to snatch (esp related to a robbery)
校花
xiào huā
  1. 1 the prettiest girl in the school (see also 校草[xiào cǎo])
  2. 2 school beauty queen
  3. 3 campus belle
  4. 4 prom queen
桂花
guì huā
  1. 1 osmanthus flowers
  2. 2 Osmanthus fragrans
桃花
táo huā
  1. 1 peach blossom
  2. 2 (fig.) love affair
桃花运
táo huā yùn
  1. 1 luck with the ladies
  2. 2 a romance
  3. 3 good luck

Idioms (20)

一条路走到黑
yī tiáo lù zǒu dào hēi
  1. 1 lit. to follow one road until dark (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to stick to one's ways
  3. 3 to cling to one's course
人往高处走，水往低处流
rén wǎng gāo chù zǒu , shuǐ wǎng dī chù liú
  1. 1 man seeks his way up just as water seeks its way down (idiom)
  2. 2 one should constantly strive to make progress
你走你的阳关道，我过我的独木桥
nǐ zǒu nǐ de Yáng guān Dào , wǒ guò wǒ de dú mù qiáo
  1. 1 lit. you hit the high road, I'll cross the log bridge (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. you go your way, I'll go mine
  3. 3 you do it your way, I'll do it mine
借花献佛
jiè huā xiàn Fó
  1. 1 lit. presenting the Buddha with borrowed flowers (idiom); fig. to win favor or influence using sb else's property
  2. 2 plagiarism
剑走偏锋
jiàn zǒu piān fēng
  1. 1 the sword moves with side stroke (modern idiom)
  2. 2 fig. unexpected winning move
  3. 3 unconventional gambit
剑走蜻蛉
jiàn zǒu qīng líng
  1. 1 the sword moves like a dragon-fly (modern idiom)
  2. 2 fig. unexpected winning move
  3. 3 unconventional gambit
吃不了兜着走
chī bu liǎo dōu zhe zǒu
  1. 1 lit. if you can't eat it all, you'll have to take it home (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. you'll have to take the consequences
名花有主
míng huā yǒu zhǔ
  1. 1 the girl is already taken (idiom)
天花乱坠
tiān huā luàn zhuì
  1. 1 lit. a deluge of heavenly flowers (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. extravagant embellishments
  3. 3 hype
奇花异卉
qí huā yì huì
  1. 1 exotic flowers and rare herbs (idiom)
奇花异草
qí huā yì cǎo
  1. 1 very rarely seen, unusual (idiom)
奔走相告
bēn zǒu xiāng gào
  1. 1 to spread the news (idiom)
如花似玉
rú huā sì yù
  1. 1 delicate as a flower, refined as a precious jade (idiom)
  2. 2 (of a woman) exquisite
寻花问柳
xún huā wèn liǔ
  1. 1 lit. to enjoy the beautiful spring scenery (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to frequent brothels
  3. 3 to sow one's wild oats
心花怒放
xīn huā nù fàng
  1. 1 to burst with joy (idiom)
  2. 2 to be over the moon
  3. 3 to be elated
拈花惹草
niān huā rě cǎo
  1. 1 lit. to pick the flowers and trample the grass (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to womanize
  3. 3 to frequent brothels
  4. 4 to sow one's wild oats
摆花架子
bǎi huā jià zi
  1. 1 lit. to arrange a shelf of flowers
  2. 2 superficial display (idiom)
败柳残花
bài liǔ cán huā
  1. 1 broken flower, withered willow (idiom); fig. fallen woman
明日黄花
míng rì huáng huā
  1. 1 lit. chrysanthemums after the Double Ninth Festival (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. outdated
  3. 3 thing of the past
  4. 4 dead letter
昙花一现
tán huā yī xiàn
  1. 1 lit. the night-blooming cactus shows once
  2. 2 flash in the pan (idiom)
  3. 3 short-lived

Sample Sentences

中国人跟着旅行团旅游，大多数都是走马观花。
Zhōngguórén gēn zhe lǚxíngtuán lǚyóu ，dàduōshù dōu shì zǒumǎguānhuā 。
The majority of Chinese people who travel with tour groups only take passing glances at the places they visit.
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走马观花
zǒumǎguānhuā
To give only a passing glance.
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没办法，只能走马观花了。哎，金门大桥，真漂亮！
méi bànfǎ ，zhǐnéng zǒumǎguānhuā le 。āi ，jīnmén dàqiáo ，zhēn piàoliang ！
There's nothing I can do, we can only give it a quick once-over. Oh, look, the Golden Gate Bridge, it's so beautiful!
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