Learning & Wisdom
一以貫之
일이관지
yī yǐ guàn zhī
I-i-gwan-ji
一
한 일
以
써 이
貫
꿸 관
之
갈 지
Character by character
Meaning
Threading the whole through with a single principle.
Origin
From the Analects, where Confucius describes his own learning this way.
How it is used
Used when scattered facts are explained by one underlying rule.
Hanja一以貫之
Simplified一以贯之
Korean reading일이관지
Pinyinyī yǐ guàn zhī
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does I-i-gwan-ji mean?
一以貫之 · Threading the whole through with a single principle.
Q. Where does I-i-gwan-ji come from?
From the Analects, where Confucius describes his own learning this way.
Q. How is I-i-gwan-ji used?
Used when scattered facts are explained by one underlying rule.
Idioms in the same group
刮目相對 Gwal-mok-sang-daeRub your eyes and look again — someone’s ability has grown astonishingly.敎學相長 Gyo-hak-sang-jangTeaching and learning grow each other.多多益善 Da-da-ik-seonThe more, the better.聞一知十 Mun-il-ji-sipHear one thing and know ten — exceptional quickness of mind.格物致知 Gyeong-mul-chi-jiInvestigate things to reach knowledge.學而時習 Hak-i-si-seupLearn, and practise it in due time.
The idioms used in Korea mix phrases from the Chinese classics with ones coined in Korea. Where an expression is not used in China, the entry says so.