借古讽今
jiè gǔ fěng jīn · to use the past to disparage the present (idiom)
Character breakdown
Study each Hanzi separately, then return to the complete word so pronunciation, meaning, and movement stay connected.
How to learn 借古讽今
Listen once without reading, repeat the pinyin with its tones, then write every character in sequence. Finally, recall the complete meaning instead of memorizing each character as an isolated translation.
When the word appears in a sentence, check whether its part of speech and meaning match the definition shown here. Chinese words can change nuance with context.
Words with the same characters
Compare how a familiar Hanzi changes meaning inside another word.
this year
今天jīntiāntoday; the present time; now
借jièto borrow; (used in combination with 給|给[gei3] or 出[chu1] etc) to lend; to make use of; to avail oneself of; (sometimes followed by 著|着[zhe5]) by; with; variant of 借[jie4]
今后jīnhòuhereafter; henceforth; in the future; from now on
古gǔancient; old; paleo-; surname Gu
古代gǔdàiancient times