Chinese idiom · 成语
循规蹈矩
Meaning
To follow rules and stay square; strict adherence to norms.
Character by character
Origin and story
literary allusionThe ruler and compass provide the underlying image: just as tools establish straight edges and circles, shared standards guide conduct. A song preserved in the Book of Sui's music treatise uses the related wording 'respond to the compass and follow the square' in praising ritual order and moral bearing at court. The exact familiar expression is also documented in discussions associated with Zhu Xi, where it describes people who keep to accepted standards. It can therefore commend proper, dependable behavior. In a different context, the same emphasis on established patterns can become criticism of someone too conventional to adapt.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
他平时循规蹈矩，这次却主动提出了大胆的新方案。
He normally follows established rules, but this time he volunteered a bold new proposal.
May praise orderly behavior or imply excessive conventionality; context determines the tone.