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以史為鑒

简 以史为鉴 · 繁 以史為鑒
Mandarin · pinyin yǐ shǐ wéi jiàn

Meanings

  1. to learn from history (idiom)
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Characters in this entry

以
yǐ · by means of; thereby, therefore; consider as; in order to
史
shǐ · history, chronicle, annals
為
Look up this written character
鑒
Look up this written character
为
wèi · do, handle, govern, act; be
鉴
jiàn · mirror, looking glass; reflect
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Entries containing 以史為鑒 ↗Words written with 以 ↗Words written with 史 ↗Words written with 為 ↗Words written with 鑒 ↗Words written with 为 ↗Words written with 鉴 ↗

Mandarin tones

3–3–2–4 · yi3 shi3 wei2 jian4

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Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

phrase

  1. (idiomatic) to take history as a mirror; to draw lessons from history; to look to the past for guidance; to learn from history

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack