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温故而知新

wēn gù ér zhī xīndictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
to review the old and know the new (idiom, from the Analects) / to recall the past to understand the future
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-b55bd9ed09cc9877. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

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/

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: 溫故而知新

  • 温
    wēn

    warm / lukewarm / to warm up / (bound form) temperature / (bound form) mild / soft / tender / to review (a lesson etc) / (TCM) fever / epidemic / pestilence (old variant of 瘟[wēn])

    Wēn

    surname Wen

  • 故
    gù

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

  • 而
    ér

    and / as well as / and so / but (not) / yet (not) / (indicates causal relation) / (indicates change of state) / (indicates contrast)

  • 知
    zhī

    to know / to be aware

  • 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.