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借古諷今

简借古讽今 · 繁借古諷今

Mandarin · pinyin jiè gǔ fěng jīn

to use the past to disparage the present (idiom)

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Characters in this entry

借: jiè · borrow; lend; make pretext of
古: gǔ · old, classic, ancient
諷: Look up this written character
今: jīn · now, today, modern era
讽: fěng · fèng · recite, incant; satirize

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

4–3–3–1 · jie4 gu3 feng3 jin1

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Read this spelling in Classical texts

Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.

借古諷今 · find source passages ↗ · 借古讽今 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 1 sense · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

ze3 gu2 fung3 gam1

Cantonese word readings for 借古諷今. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

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

phrase

(idiomatic) to satirize the present by discussing and commenting on historical events or figures

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

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