📖 Meaning
To grasp the principles or patterns of one thing and thereby deduce or understand similar things of the same kind. It describes the ability to learn by analogy and extend knowledge from a single instance to an entire class of phenomena.
📜 Origin Story
The idiom traces back to the Southern Song dynasty scholar Li Zhiyan (李之彦), who wrote in his work 'Donggu Suojian' (《东谷所见》), compiled in the encyclopedia 'Shuofu' (《说郛》), that when a person's thoughts are upright, all goodness can be understood by analogy. Later, the Ming-Qing transition scholar Gu Yanwu (顾炎武) invoked the concept in his essay 'To a Friend on the Study of Books' (《与友人论书》), praising the ancient sages' method of teaching through illustrative examples so that learners could extend their understanding by analogy.
💡 Example Usage
他学习能力强，往往能触类而通，迅速掌握新知识。
He has a strong ability to learn, often able to grasp by analogy and quickly master new knowledge.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 触类而通
- Pinyin: chù lèi ér tōng
- Literal Translation: touch, category, and, understand
- Category: Learning
- Characters: 4