lǎo老oldmǎ马horseshí识recognizetú途road
An old horse knows the way; experienced people know the ropes.
Literal meaning
old (老) — horse (马) — recognize (识) — road (途)
Origin
This idiom comes from Han Feizi, illustrating the value of experience.
Examples
bié别dān担xīn心，tā他jīng经yàn验fēng丰fù富，lǎo老mǎ马shí识tú途，bù不huì会mí迷lù路de的。
Don't worry, he is experienced, an old horse knows the way, he won't get lost.
zài在chǔ处lǐ理zhè这lèi类wèn问tí题shàng上，tā他kě可shì是lǎo老mǎ马shí识tú途。
He certainly knows the ropes when it comes to dealing with these kinds of problems.
Usage & nuances
Emphasizes the importance of experience and knowledge gained over time.
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