cāo​fǔ​fá​kē

to follow an existing pattern

Senses

操斧伐柯 cāo​fǔ​fá​kē to follow an existing pattern

Literally meaning to hold an ax to cut an ax handle, from the Book of Songs 诗经 shī​jīng; used to describe following a principle or using a nearby example as a model; can also refer to acting as a matchmaker

References

see 操斧伐柯/操斧伐柯 伐柯/伐柯