zhèng rén mǎi lǚdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
(lit.) the person from Zheng 鄭|郑[Zhèng] 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) (idiom) / (fig.) disregarding the sensible approach in favor of adherence to a fixed idea
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-9c50af8df7785b2b. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

鄭人買履 郑人买履 [zheng4 ren2 mai3 lu:3] /(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) (idiom)/(fig.) disregarding the sensible approach in favor of adherence to a fixed idea/

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Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

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Other forms in these source records: 鄭人買履

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.