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Chinese/Dictionary entry

以史为鉴

yǐ shǐ wéi jiàndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to learn from history (idiom)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-0697f1d1548efa04. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

以史為鑒 以史为鉴 [yi3 shi3 wei2 jian4] /to learn from history (idiom)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 以史為鑒

  • 以
    yǐ

    to use / by means of / according to / in order to / because of / at (a certain date or place)

    Yǐ

    abbr. for Israel 以色列[Yǐ sè liè]

  • 史
    shǐ

    history / annals / title of an official historian in ancient China

    Shǐ

    surname Shi

  • 为
    wéi

    as (in the capacity of) / to take sth as / to act as / to serve as / to behave as / to become / to be / to do / by (in the passive voice)

    wèi

    because of / for / to

  • 鉴
    jiàn

    bronze mirror (used in ancient times) / to reflect / to mirror / sth that serves as a warning or a lesson / to examine / to scrutinize

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.