📖 Meaning
To be able to draw analogies from one's own nearby experience. It describes the virtue of putting oneself in others' shoes and considering things from one's own perspective to empathize with others. Confucius called this the very method of practicing benevolence.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Analerta (《论语·雍也》), compiled during the Spring and Autumn period. Confucius said, 'Being able to draw analogies from what is near at hand can be called the method of benevolence.' He meant that the path to ren (benevolence) begins with self-reflection and empathy—using one's own feelings and situations as a reference point to understand and care for others. The phrase later became a well-known expression for the practice of sympathetic understanding.
💡 Example Usage
教育孩子若能近取譬，以自身经历为喻，效果往往更好。
If one can draw analogies from one's own experience when educating children, the results are often better.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 能近取譬
- Pinyin: néng jìn qǔ pì
- Literal Translation: able, near, take, analogy
- Category: Morality
- Characters: 4