墨守成規

Etymology
is from :

The term is from the book , which was the defense method proposed by him in a war simulation against 's ladder specially designed for the state of  to be used in its invasion of. Mo Zi's defense method proved the ladder to be useless and this made him succeed in discouraging the king of Chu from starting a war. The meaning of 墨守 has changed from commendatory to derogatory over time.

Idiom

 * 1) to rigidly adhere to old rules or traditions without willingness to change