借古喻今
jiè​gǔ​yù​jīn

to use the past to allude to the present

  1. 借 jiè noun
    to make use of
    to take advantage of an opportunity or situation; to avail oneself of; to rely on
  2. 古 gǔ noun
    ancient things
    things from the past, such as artifacts, history, or classical texts
  3. 喻 yù nounverb
    analogy
    (bound form) analogy; metaphor; to describe something using a comparison
  4. 今 jīn
    modern
    modern; contemporary (as opposed to ancient 古 gǔ)