温故知新
wēn gù zhī xīn
to gain new insight by reviewing the old
Character by character
温wēn
review
review
故gù
the old
the old
知zhī
know
know
新xīn
the new
the new
Example
复习不是浪费时间，而是温故知新。
Reviewing is not a waste of time; it gives new insight from the old.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
《论语》: 温故而知新，可以为师矣.
Learn this in Lesson 206 · HSK 9+: 文言入门：之乎者也 (Classical Chinese: the four little words)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. This lesson is free.
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