郑人买履 (zhèng rén mǎi lǚ): lit. the person from Zheng 鄭|郑[Zheng4] who wanted to buy shoes (an allusion to an ancient story about somebody who, when buying a pair of shoes, preferred to rely on their foot measurements rather than just trying them on); fig. disregarding the sensible approach in favor of adherence to a fixed idea
郑人买履
lit. the person from Zheng 鄭|郑[Zheng4] who wanted to buy shoes (an allusion to an ancient story about somebody who, when buying a pair of shoes, preferred to rely on their foot measurements rather than just trying them on); fig. disregarding the sensible approach in favor of adherence to a fixed idea
The man from Zheng trusted his written foot measurement over his own feet and went home barefoot. For following the procedure past the point where the procedure stopped making sense.