📖 Meaning
To abandon outdated practices and actively seek new paths forward. The idiom conveys a spirit of reform and renewal, urging people or institutions to shed obsolete habits in favor of innovation. It is often used in contexts of governance, management, or personal growth.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from a Song Dynasty inscription by Liu Kezhuang titled 'Stele Inscription for Lord Yan of the Imperial Archives.' In it, the author warns that the state of the nation had become precarious and urges the emperor to issue a decree of heartfelt remorse, exhorting all officials to cast aside old, failing practices and strive for renewal in order to win back the mandate of heaven. The appeal reflects the Confucian idea that moral and institutional reform can reverse national decline.
💡 Example Usage
面对激烈的市场竞争，企业必须革旧图新才能立于不败之地。
Facing fierce market competition, a company must discard outdated practices and embrace innovation to remain invincible.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 革旧图新
- Pinyin: gé jiù tú xīn
- Literal Translation: discard the old, pursue the new
- Category: Action
- Characters: 4