📖 Meaning
To take history as a mirror, drawing lessons from the successes and failures of the past. It means using historical events as a reference to guide present decisions and avoid repeating mistakes. The phrase emphasizes the value of historical reflection in governance and life.
📜 Origin Story
This phrase originates from the biography of Wei Zheng (魏徵) in the Old Book of Tang (《旧唐书》). Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty praised his minister Wei Zheng, saying that using bronze as a mirror one can adjust one's attire, using history as a mirror one can understand the rise and fall of dynasties, and using people as a mirror one can see one's own gains and losses. Wei Zheng's honest counsel served as a mirror for the emperor's self-reflection. After Wei Zheng's death, the emperor lamented the loss of this invaluable mirror.
💡 Example Usage
治理国家当以古为镜，方能避免重蹈覆辙。
When governing a country, one should use history as a mirror in order to avoid repeating past mistakes.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 以古为镜
- Pinyin: yǐ gǔ wéi jìng
- Literal Translation: use, the past, as, a mirror
- Category: Wisdom
- Characters: 4