骑驴找驴
Qí lǘ zhǎo lǘ

Translation: Looking for the donkey on which one is riding.
Meaning: Originally it means that looking for another position while still being in one. Now the connotation is changed to looking for something right under one’s nose.

Story
The proverb derives from Jingde chuan deng lu (The Transmission of the Lamp), a biographical account of prominent Buddhist monks compiled by Shi Daoyuan in the reign of Emperor Jingde (1004-1007 CE) of the Song dynasty.

There was once a farmer named Wang San. One day he drove five donkeys to a market to sell them, while riding on one of them. On his way, he thought of counting the animals. “One, two, three, and….” To his alarm, he counted only four! He counted again, and then again, and there were still four donkeys in front of him. One was missing! The dejected Wang San regretted being carelessness and losing one of his donkeys. When he reached the market and got off from the donkey under him, he counted again. This time it was five! Suddenly he realized that while he was doing the counting on his way, he had forgotten the one he was riding on.

This proverb speaks of a situation everyone may have experienced: Looking for something that turns out to be right under your nose.

Vocabulary

Character Pinyin English
骑 qí to ride (V)
驴 lǘ donkey, ass (N)
找 zhǎo to search, look for (V)
骑马 qí lǘ to ride (on) a donkey (V)
骑马 qí mǎ to ride (on) a horse (V)
毛驴 máolǘ donkey (V)
寻找 xúnzhǎo to search, look for (V)

 

Example
小明一边拿着手机，一边在寻找手机。室友不禁笑了，说道，“你不是在骑驴找驴吗？手机就在你的手里呀。”

Xiao Ming was looking for his cellphone while holding it in his hand. His roommate couldn’t help feeling amused and said to him with a chuckle, “Aren’t you looking for a donkey while riding on it? The cellphone is right in your hand.”