融会贯通

róng huì guàn tōng

to master thoroughly

Character by character

融róng
blend

会huì
join

贯guàn
thread

通tōng
through

学知识要融会贯通。

When you study, you need to tie everything together.

Tone: positive (praise).

Popularised by Zhu Xi; means mastering by linking ideas, not rote learning.

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