📖 Meaning
To review what one has already learned and gain new understanding from it. It emphasizes that revisiting past knowledge leads to fresh insights and deeper comprehension. The phrase also suggests that reflecting on the past helps one better understand the present.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the Analects (论语·为政), where Confucius stated that one who reviews the old so as to discover the new is qualified to be a teacher. The phrase was later echoed by the Han dynasty scholar Ban Gu in his 'Ode to the Eastern Capital' (东都赋), where he lamented that even reviewing the old to learn the new is difficult, and those who truly understand virtue are rare. Over time, it became a foundational principle of Chinese educational philosophy.
💡 Example Usage
温故知新是学习上的重要方法。
Reviewing the old to learn the new is an important method in learning.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 温故知新
- Pinyin: wēn gù zhī xīn
- Literal Translation: 温, review, 故, old, 知, know, 新, new
- Category: Learning
- Characters: 4