循规蹈矩
xún guī dǎo jǔ
to follow the rules; to toe the line
Character by character
循xún
follow
follow
规guī
compasses
compasses
蹈dǎo
tread
tread
矩jǔ
square
square
Example
他从小循规蹈矩，开了二十年车，连一次红灯都没闯过。
He has always done things by the book: in twenty years of driving he has never once run a red light.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
规 is a pair of compasses and 矩 a carpenter’s square, the tools for drawing circles and right angles. Approving for someone careful and law-abiding, but it can also mean unadventurous: 他太循规蹈矩了，不敢创新.
Learn this in Lesson 141 · HSK 7–9: 考驾照，抢车牌 (Driving tests and number plates)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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