📖 Meaning
To handle current affairs according to ancient precedents and established rules. The phrase typically carries a critical tone, implying that rigidly applying old methods to new situations fails to account for changing circumstances.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the 'Strategies of the Warring States' (战国策), specifically the 'Zhao Strategies' (赵策二) chapter. The text records a proverb warning that 'one who drives a horse according to a book cannot fully grasp the horse's nature, and one who governs the present by ancient precedents cannot understand how affairs change.' The remark was made during the Warring States period to caution rulers against mechanically applying outdated norms to evolving political realities.
💡 Example Usage
治理国家若一味以古制今，势必脱离时代发展的需要。
If a ruler insists on governing the present solely by ancient precedents, the country will inevitably fall out of step with the needs of the times.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 以古制今
- Pinyin: yǐ gǔ zhì jīn
- Literal Translation: use, ancient, to govern, present
- Category: Philosophy
- Characters: 4