📖 Meaning
To discard the old and embrace the new. It describes the process of leaving behind outdated things and adopting fresh ones. The idiom conveys the idea of renewal and moving forward from the past.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase originates from the 'Lü Shu' (Book of Pitch Pipes) chapter of Sima Qian's 'Records of the Grand Historian' (Shiji), compiled during the Han Dynasty. In annotating the passage about the third month and the pitch pipe Guxian, Zhang Shoujie's commentary cites the 'Baihu Tong' (Comprehensive Discussions in the White Tiger Hall), explaining that 'Gu' means 'old' and 'Xian' means 'fresh.' The text states that all things discard the old and embrace the new, becoming bright and vivid. The idiom was later used by the Tang Dynasty writer Han Yu in his essay 'Farewell to Poverty' (Song Qiong Wen), where he described drinking a cup of wine with friends and casting off the old to ride the winds anew.
💡 Example Usage
企业在改革中必须去故就新，才能适应市场的变化。
In reform, an enterprise must discard the old and embrace the new to adapt to market changes.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 去故就新
- Pinyin: qù gù jiù xīn
- Literal Translation: go, old, keep, new
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4