CYChengyu Dictionary

Chengyu meaning

墨守成规 (mò shǒu chéng guī)

rigidly stick to old rules

Plain Answer

Source: Traditional Mozi-and-rules expression in Chinese usage. Treated here as classical story; read it first as a sentence-level judgment.

Core meaning: 墨守成规 means rigidly stick to old rules: Used critically when someone clings to old methods, fixed rules, or inherited procedures even after the situation requires adaptation.

Practice this meaningRead the story
Label
negative / common formal
Best objects
business adaptation, learning method, nearby contrast
Do not use when
Do not use 墨守成规 for a scene that only shares one surface word with the meaning. If the problem is closer to 刻舟求剑 or the contrast points toward 风云突变, choose that nearby entry instead of stretching this one.

Use: Use 墨守成规 when the business adaptation sentence shows the object, cause, and tone clearly. Avoid: Avoid 墨守成规 when the sentence only sounds related, lacks evidence, or needs a plainer word.

business adaptation市场已经变了，如果还墨守成规，公司很难找到新机会。Shìchǎng yǐjīng biàn le, rúguǒ hái mòshǒuchéngguī, gōngsī hěn nán zhǎodào xīn jīhuì.The market has already changed; if the company still rigidly sticks to old rules, it will struggle to find new opportunities.

Next: Read the examples, then compare 刻舟求剑 before practicing 墨守成规 in the focused quiz.

Often studied with: 刻舟求剑, 刚柔并济, 步步为营

Read This First

墨守成规 is introduced here through a classical story tradition retold for modern learners; the source label is Traditional Mozi-and-rules expression in Chinese usage, and the page separates that background from modern sentence choice.

墨守成规 means rigidly stick to old rules. The important first reading is Used critically when someone clings to old methods, fixed rules, or inherited procedures even after the situation requires adaptation. This is a negative phrase in normal use, so the sentence must show the judgment clearly.

Use 墨守成规 when the object, cause, and tone match examples such as business adaptation, learning method, nearby contrast; then compare 刻舟求剑 and 刚柔并济 before writing your own sentence.

Avoid 墨守成规 when the sentence only shares a broad topic, when the tone would be unfair to the person being described, or when a plainer word would be clearer than a chengyu.

Start with this cue: business adaptation plus a visible reason.

Meaning and Translation Notes

Used critically when someone clings to old methods, fixed rules, or inherited procedures even after the situation requires adaptation.

Literal meaning

Mozi-like guarding of established rules

  • 墨 / Mo or ink
  • 守 / guard
  • 成 / established
  • 规 / rule

English equivalents

  • rigidly stick to old rules near

    The safest modern translation.

  • be bound by convention plain

    Useful in education, management, and writing.

  • hide behind established rules near

    Works when the criticism targets defensive rule-following.

How To Use It

Use 墨守成规 when the reader can see why rigidly stick to old rules is the exact judgment, not just the topic. A strong sentence names the actor, the thing being judged, and the evidence that makes this idiom more precise than an ordinary adjective.

  • Use it when the sentence criticizes rigidity, not simply tradition.
  • The rule, method, or procedure should be visible enough for the reader to see what is being guarded.
  • It is often useful in strategy, teaching, management, design, and reform contexts.

Common Mistakes

Do not use 墨守成规 for a scene that only shares one surface word with the meaning. If the problem is closer to 刻舟求剑 or the contrast points toward 风云突变, choose that nearby entry instead of stretching this one.

  • Do not use it for careful work; 一丝不苟 can be careful without being rigid.
  • Do not use it for every old practice; the problem is refusing to adapt when adaptation is needed.

Wrong Use Clinic

The most useful check is often the phrase you should reject.

  1. The learner wants to sound more idiomatic but has only a broad topic match for 墨守成规.

    The sentence drops in 墨守成规 without showing the cause, object, or tone that would make the idiom necessary.

    Fix: Rewrite the sentence so the evidence for rigidly stick to old rules appears before or after the phrase.

    墨守成规 fails in this case because a chengyu is not decoration; it must name the exact judgment the sentence is making.

    Compare ke zhou qiu jian

  2. The learner wants to say the opposite or a neighboring idea and chooses 墨守成规 because it feels familiar.

    The sentence uses 墨守成规, but the described situation points to a different cause, time point, or social attitude.

    Fix: Compare the sentence with 风云突变 and choose the phrase whose boundary explains the situation with less force.

    墨守成规 becomes misleading when the nearby phrase would identify the real problem more cleanly.

    Compare feng yun tu bian

  3. The learner has the right meaning area for 墨守成规 but ignores register and emotional force.

    The sentence uses 墨守成规 directly about a person, yet gives no softening context or evidence for such a critical and anti-rigid judgment.

    Fix: Add the observed behavior first, or choose 刚柔并济 if the sentence needs a gentler learning path.

    墨守成规 can sound heavier than a short English gloss. The reader needs enough context to see why the tone is fair.

    Compare gang rou bing ji

  4. The learner remembers the origin image of 墨守成规 but applies it to the wrong object.

    The sentence names an image or story detail, but the real object being judged would be better explained by another chengyu.

    Fix: Name the object first. If the object points toward 融会贯通, use that contrast instead.

    墨守成规 should follow the judgment, not the most memorable image. Story memory is useful only when it supports the sentence-level decision.

    Compare rong hui guan tong

Chengyu Often Studied Together

Use these clusters to build sentence-level judgment instead of memorizing a single gloss.

  1. 墨守成规 with nearby learner choices

    墨守成规 is often studied beside 刻舟求剑 and 刚柔并济 because the words share a theme while asking the learner to judge a different cause, tone, or timing.

    老师先让学生解释墨守成规，再比较刻舟求剑和刚柔并济，这样不会只凭英文近义词选答案。

    ke zhou qiu jiangang rou bing ji

  2. 墨守成规 with contrast checks

    墨守成规 becomes easier to use when it is contrasted with 步步为营 and 风云突变; the contrast forces the writer to decide whether the sentence is praise, warning, correction, or neutral description.

    写作练习里先用墨守成规造句，再换成步步为营，观察判断方向怎样改变。

    bu bu wei yingfeng yun tu bianke zhou qiu jian

  3. 墨守成规 in example-building drills

    墨守成规 should be practiced with 刻舟求剑 and 步步为营 because examples reveal whether the learner is choosing by meaning, tone, or only by a remembered image.

    课堂上先用墨守成规写一个有证据的句子，再换成刻舟求剑或步步为营说明判断为什么改变。

    ke zhou qiu jianbu bu wei yinggang rou bing ji

  4. 墨守成规 in story and source review

    墨守成规 links best with 刚柔并济 and 风云突变 when the learner is checking whether a source image truly supports a modern sentence.

    复习出处时，不要只背墨守成规的故事，还要比较刚柔并济，看哪个成语更能解释现代句子。

    gang rou bing jifeng yun tu bianke zhou qiu jian

Learner Guide

Use these notes when deciding whether this chengyu fits a real sentence.

Use 墨守成规 when the sentence criticizes rigid adherence to established rules. It fits a company refusing to adapt, a teacher using one method for every student, or a team hiding behind process after conditions change.

Rigidly stick to old rules is the safest English. Be bound by convention works in formal writing. Hide behind established rules is sharper and useful when the rule becomes an excuse.

Do not confuse it with carefulness. 一丝不苟 praises attention to detail; 墨守成规 criticizes lack of adaptability. A careful person can still adjust. A rigid person may follow every line and still miss the task.

A strong sentence should name the old rule and the new condition. If the reader cannot see why adaptation is needed, the phrase may sound like a shallow attack on tradition. The criticism needs evidence.

Before using 墨守成规, write the plain English idea first. If the plain sentence already says everything naturally, the chengyu must add a sharper judgment, cultural image, or tone. If it does not add one of those, leave the plain wording alone.

A good 墨守成规 sentence contains an object and evidence. The object is the person, plan, habit, result, or scene being judged. The evidence is the reason the phrase fits. Without both parts, the idiom may look learned but feel empty.

Compare 墨守成规 with 刻舟求剑 and 风云突变 before finalizing a sentence. The goal is not to memorize synonyms; the goal is to reject the wrong phrase for a clear reason. That rejection is what turns recognition into usable knowledge.

When teaching or self-reviewing 墨守成规, ask the learner to mark source, meaning, use case, wrong case, and one example. If any mark is missing, return to the entry section that supplies it rather than guessing from the headword alone.

business adaptation is the first test zone for 墨守成规, but it is not the only possible use. Before using the phrase, name the speaker, the object being judged, and the nearest tested context: business adaptation, learning method, nearby contrast, usage boundary, misuse boundary, comparison check, context setup, teacher correction. Then choose among rigidly stick to old rules, be bound by convention, hide behind established rules as translation candidates and reject at least one candidate out loud. A useful final check is to compare the sentence with ke-zhou-qiu-jian and gang-rou-bing-ji; if one of those nearby entries explains the situation with less strain, the nearby phrase is the better learner choice.

When 墨守成规 is translated as rigidly stick to old rules, the English should still preserve the phrase's tone. Keep critical and anti-rigid and the caution use area visible when the audience is still learning the idiom. If a short translation hides the warning "Do not use it for careful work; 一丝不苟 can be careful without being rigid.", choose a fuller English explanation instead. This matters because the strongest chengyu pages should help readers decide when not to use the most convenient English equivalent.

Example Sentences

Each example labels the situation so you can choose a natural English translation.

business adaptation

市场已经变了，如果还墨守成规，公司很难找到新机会。

Shìchǎng yǐjīng biàn le, rúguǒ hái mòshǒuchéngguī, gōngsī hěn nán zhǎodào xīn jīhuì.

The market has already changed; if the company still rigidly sticks to old rules, it will struggle to find new opportunities.

learning method

老师鼓励学生尊重方法，但不要墨守成规，要能根据题目调整。

Lǎoshī gǔlì xuésheng zūnzhòng fāngfǎ, dàn bú yào mòshǒuchéngguī, yào néng gēnjù tímù tiáozhěng.

The teacher encouraged students to respect methods but not be bound by convention, and to adjust according to the question.

nearby contrast

墨守成规和一丝不苟不同，前者缺少变通，后者重在认真。

Mòshǒuchéngguī hé yìsībùgǒu bùtóng, qiánzhě quēshǎo biàntōng, hòuzhě zhòng zài rènzhēn.

Rigidly sticking to old rules is different from being meticulous: the first lacks adaptability, while the second stresses care.

usage boundary

只有原因和语气都清楚时，这句话才适合用墨守成规。

zhi you yuan yin he yu qi dou qing chu shi zhe ju hua cai shi he yong mo shou cheng gui

Only use 墨守成规 when the cause and tone are both clear, not just because the topic feels nearby.

misuse boundary

如果只是普通情况，不要为了显得有文化而硬说墨守成规。

ru guo zhi shi pu tong qing kuang bu yao wei le xian de you wen hua er ying shuo mo shou cheng gui

If the situation is ordinary, do not force 墨守成规 just to make the sentence sound more cultured.

comparison check

比较近义成语以后，再决定这里是不是应该写墨守成规。

bi jiao jin yi cheng yu yi hou zai jue ding zhe li shi bu shi ying gai xie mo shou cheng gui

After comparing nearby chengyu, decide whether 墨守成规 is really the phrase the sentence needs.

context setup

这段话先说明对象和原因，所以墨守成规读起来不突兀。

zhe duan hua xian shuo ming dui xiang he yuan yin suo yi mo shou cheng gui du qi lai bu tu wu

The passage names the object and cause first, so 墨守成规 does not feel abrupt.

teacher correction

老师让学生先解释为什么不用别的词，再用墨守成规造句。

lao shi rang xue sheng xian jie shi wei shen me bu yong bie de ci zai yong mo shou cheng gui zao ju

The teacher asks students to explain why another phrase would be wrong before writing a sentence with 墨守成规.

Story and Cultural Context

墨守成规 is associated with the idea of guarding inherited rules too tightly. Whatever the precise historical route a speaker has in mind, the modern phrase is clear in function: it criticizes treating an established method as if it were always correct. That makes the idiom useful in changing situations. A process may have protected quality before, but later block learning. A classroom method may once help beginners, but later prevent independent thinking. The phrase does not attack all rules; it attacks rules that are defended after their fit has expired. 墨守成规 is useful because it criticizes a particular failure mode: a person or system guards an inherited rule after the situation has changed. The phrase should not be used against every tradition. Some rules protect quality, fairness, or safety. The problem begins when the rule is defended without testing whether it still fits. English speakers should keep that judgment visible. The idiom is strongest in reform, education, management, design, and strategy, where old procedures can become obstacles while still looking responsible on the surface. For this entry, the origin note is only the beginning of the explanation. The useful question is why 墨守成规 survived as a portable judgment rather than as a decorative allusion. The classical story route gives the reader an image, but the modern sentence must still prove its own fit. A learner should ask three things: what concrete object is being judged, what evidence in the sentence supports that judgment, and what tone the phrase adds that a plain English adjective would not add. This is why the page tests 墨守成规 through business adaptation, learning method, nearby contrast, usage boundary, misuse boundary; each context changes the pressure on the phrase and shows whether the idiom is acting as praise, warning, neutral description, or criticism. The story or usage background also has a translation boundary. 墨守成规 can point toward rigidly stick to old rules, be bound by convention, hide behind established rules, but those English choices are not interchangeable. One version may preserve the image, another may sound natural in a classroom answer, and another may be safer in a workplace or essay sentence. The entry therefore treats public references as source cards, not as a paragraph order to imitate. Headword checks, story labels, and English equivalents are separated first; only after that are they rebuilt into the learner path used here: answer, label, examples, wrong-use clinic, comparison, story, and practice. The most common failure is overextension. Because 墨守成规 has a memorable surface, learners may reach for it whenever a topic feels close. The better habit is to compare it with 刻舟求剑 and 刚柔并济 and with 风云突变 and 融会贯通 before writing. If the rejected phrase is hard to reject, the sentence probably has not supplied enough evidence. If the rejected phrase is easy to reject, the learner can explain the boundary and use 墨守成规 with confidence. That is the practical purpose of the origin section: it turns cultural memory into a sentence-level decision instead of leaving the reader with a story and no next action.

Learning point: Rules are useful when they fit the situation; rigidity begins when fit is no longer checked.

Open the dedicated story page

Editorial Notes

These notes turn the entry into a decision path, not a loose definition.

First answer before details

墨守成规 should first be read as a decision about rigidly stick to old rules, not as a collectible story label. The classical story helps memory, but the reader's real task is to decide whether the modern sentence is making a negative judgment with enough evidence. Start with the object being described, then ask what happened, who is being judged, and whether the tone is fair. If those details are missing, the idiom will feel like learned decoration rather than useful Chinese. This first-answer rule also helps teachers and translators: they can explain the phrase quickly before deciding whether a longer story, comparison, or correction block is needed.

Example clinic

The examples for 墨守成规 deliberately cover business adaptation, learning method, nearby contrast, usage boundary, misuse boundary because a learner needs more than one successful sentence before the phrase becomes usable. Read the Chinese sentence, then explain in plain English why this phrase is more precise than a simple adjective or loose translation. A strong example names the context, shows the evidence, and makes the tone visible. A weak example merely places the chengyu near a related topic. This habit prevents a common error: remembering the literal image but forgetting the social judgment carried by the phrase. When the example feels forced, return to the meaning line and choose a plainer wording.

Comparison boundary

Before using 墨守成规, compare it with 刻舟求剑 and 刚柔并济 and, when possible, with 风云突变 and 融会贯通. The comparison is not a synonym game. Nearby chengyu often share effort, caution, wisdom, or evaluation as a topic, while differing in cause, timing, and emotional force. A good learner sentence can explain why the rejected phrase fails. If that explanation is impossible, the chosen idiom is probably too loose. This is also the cleanest internal-link reason: the next page exists because it helps the reader reject a tempting but wrong choice. The comparison should leave a reusable rule, not merely another link to click.

Wrong-use trigger

墨守成规 should be rejected when the sentence lacks an object, hides the reason for the judgment, or uses the idiom only because it sounds literary. The safest correction is to rewrite the sentence in plain English first, then add the chengyu only if it sharpens the meaning. If the tone becomes unfair, choose a gentler nearby phrase. If the source image is memorable but the modern object does not match, use the story only as background and do not force the idiom into the sentence. This wrong-use trigger is what keeps the entry from becoming a long but vague dictionary page.

Source synthesis note

墨守成规 uses public references as checkpoints rather than as a structure to copy. One source may help with the headword, another with a story or image, and another with English translation range. The page then rebuilds those checks into its own learner order: short answer, label, examples, misuse, collocation, guide, story, and practice. This matters because a single-source paraphrase would give readers a familiar-looking article but not a better learning tool. The editorial value here is the decision path: what to use, what not to use, what to compare, and how to test the phrase in a new sentence.

Practice This Decision

Answer a focused quiz question, then come back to the examples and misuse clinic if the near phrase feels tempting.

Start focused quizReview mistakes first