〜を頼りに: meaning and usage

How to form it

• noun+を頼りに/を頼りにして
• noun+だけ+を頼りに

How it is used

Doing B by relying on A — a map, a memory, a light, a person — as one's guide or support, often with the sense that it is all one has. Different from 「〜をもとに」, which uses A as material.

Examples

1. 記憶を頼りにお話しします。

   I'll talk based on what I remember (my memory).

2. スマホの地図を頼りに、初めての町を歩いた。

   I walked around a town I'd never been to, relying on the map on my phone.

3. 月の明かりだけを頼りに、山道を下りた。

   I came down the mountain path with only the moonlight to guide me.