He followed in his father's footsteps and became a doctor, just as everyone in the family expected.

followed 是动词 follow 的过去式，意思是"跟随、追随"。 in 是介词，在这里表示"按照...的方式"。 his 是形容词性物主代词，指代"他的"。 father's 是名词所有格形式，表示"父亲的"。 footsteps 是名词 footstep 的复数形式，本义是"脚印、足迹"，引申为"人生道路、事业轨迹"。 followed in his father's footsteps 这个短语字面意思是"跟随父亲的脚步"，比喻"继承父业、走父亲走过的道路"。