016Japanese idiom 四字熟語
温故知新
おんこちしんOnko chishin
“Warm up the old to understand the new.”
The meaning
Understanding the present requires visiting the past. What has already been thought and tested sheds light on what is coming.
At the origin
A four-character idiom from the Analects of Confucius, in common use in Japan.
The characters
In practice
Before innovating, reread what has already been tried in your field.
Editorial note
Classical Chinese origin (Analects of Confucius).
Themes
Similar proverbs
- 017 井の中の蛙大海を知らず The frog at the bottom of the well knows nothing of the great ocean.
- 126 一葉落ちて天下の秋を知る One leaf falls, and we know autumn is coming to the world.
- 150 一を聞いて十を知る Hear one, understand ten.
- 093 亀の甲より年の功 Better than the tortoise's shell, the merit of years.
- 272 六十の手習い Learning calligraphy at sixty.