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吐故纳新

tǔ gù nà xīndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
lit. to breathe out stale air and breathe in fresh (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuāng zǐ]) / fig. to get rid of the old and bring in the new
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-0c632e2938350793. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

吐故納新 吐故纳新 [tu3 gu4 na4 xin1] /lit. to breathe out stale air and breathe in fresh (idiom, from Zhuangzi 莊子|庄子[Zhuang1 zi3]); fig. to get rid of the old and bring in the new/

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: 吐故納新

  • 吐
    tǔ

    to spit / to send out (silk from a silkworm, bolls from cotton flowers etc) / to say / to pour out (one's grievances)

    tù

    to vomit / to throw up

  • 故
    gù

    happening / instance / reason / cause / intentional / former / old / friend / therefore / hence / (of people) to die, dead

  • 纳
    nà

    to receive / to accept / to enjoy / to bring into / to pay (tax etc) / nano- (one billionth) / to reinforce sole of shoes or stockings by close sewing

    Nà

    surname Na

  • 新
    xīn

    new / newly / meso- (chemistry)

    Xīn

    abbr. for Xinjiang 新疆[Xīn jiāng] / abbr. for Singapore 新加坡[Xīn jiā pō] / surname Xin

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.