古為今用
gǔ​wéi​jīn​yòng

to make the past serve the present

  • created sense approved 古为今用/古為今用 · gǔ​wéi​jīn​yòng · to make the past serve the present — "Initial import from upstream dictionary"

    古为今用 / 古為今用

    gǔ​wéi​jīn​yòng

    to make the past serve the present

    to absorb and apply the cultural heritage and lessons of the past to serve the needs of the modern day

    古 (literal) → 古 · gǔ · ancient 为 (literal) → 为/為 · wéi · to be 今 (literal) → 今 · jīn · modern 用 (literal) → 用 · yòng · to use

    Changed: simplified, traditional, gloss, definition, pinyin, variant pinyin, variants, separable parts, decomposition

    created sense