溫故而知新

简 温故而知新 · 繁 溫故而知新
Mandarin · pinyin wēn gù ér zhī xīn

Meanings

  1. to review the old and know the new (idiom, from the Analects)
  2. to recall the past to understand the future
Full entryShow on map

Characters in this entry

溫
Look up this written character
故
gù · ancient, old; reason, because
而
ér · and; and then; and yet; but; Kangxi radical 126
知
zhī · know, perceive, comprehend
新
xīn · new, recent, fresh, modern
温
wēn · lukewarm
Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

Explore the spelling

Mandarin tones

1–4–2–1–1 · wen1 gu4 er2 zhi1 xin1

Compare attested words with these syllables ↗

Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.

Connected dictionary

5character links
Explore word families ↗Compare pronunciations ↗Open character structure ↗
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.

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.

溫故而知新 · find source passages ↗ · 温故而知新 · find source passages ↗

Explore Classical grammar ↗

Compare dictionary sources 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

wan1 gu3 ji4 zi1 san1

Cantonese word readings for 溫故而知新. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

溫故而知新 · wen1 gu4 er2 zhi1 xin1
CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG · edition 2026-10-13 · source line 67,287
Original dictionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source & transformation details
Exact source record溫故而知新 温故而知新 [wen1 gu4 er2 zhi1 xin1] /to review the old and know the new (idiom, from the Analects)/to recall the past to understand the future/