cursory observation; superficial glance
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesidiom
to look at flowers while riding a horse; to gain a superficial understanding through cursory observation; to skim over; to give something a once-over
Often used to describe travel, study, or inspection that is done too hastily to allow deep understanding. Can function as a verb or as an adverbial phrase (e.g., 走马观花地参观).
Tā他
duì对
dāng当
dì地
wén文
huà化
zhǐ只
shì是
zǒu走
mǎ马
guān观
huā花
de地
liǎo了
jiě解
le了
yī一
xià下
。
He only gained a superficial understanding of the local culture.
Yóu由
yú于
shí时
jiān间
yǒu有
xiàn限
，
wǒ我
men们
zhǐ只
néng能
zǒu走
mǎ马
guān观
huā花
de地
cān参
guān观
le了
bó博
wù物
guǎn馆
。
Due to limited time, we could only tour the museum in a cursory manner.
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Xué学
xí习
bù不
néng能
zǒu走
mǎ马
guān观
huā花
，
bì必
xū须
shēn深
rù入
zuān钻
yán研
。
One cannot study in a superficial way; one must delve deeply into the subject.
Zhè这
cì次
shěn审
jì计
bù不
néng能
zǒu走
mǎ马
guān观
huā花
，
yào要
chá查
qīng清
chu楚
měi每
yī一
bǐ笔
zhàng账
mù目
。
This audit cannot be done perfunctorily; every account must be checked clearly.