古为今用
gǔ wéi jīn yòng
to make the past serve the present
Character by character
古gǔ
ancient
ancient
为wéi
for
for
今jīn
today
today
用yòng
use
use
Example
研究古代的治水经验，是为了古为今用，解决今天的问题。
We study how the ancients managed floods so as to make the past serve the present and solve today’s problems.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
A slogan popularised by Mao Zedong in the 1960s, usually paired with 洋为中用 (make foreign things serve China). Used of putting traditional knowledge, art or experience to modern use; formal, as in 坚持古为今用 or 古为今用的典范.
Learn this in Lesson 158 · HSK 7–9: 青蒿素 (Artemisinin: from an old recipe to a Nobel Prize)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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