Conduct & Attitude
溫故知新
온고지신
wēn gù zhī xīn
On-go-ji-sin
溫
익힐 온
故
옛 고
知
알 지
新
새 신
Character by character
Meaning
Study the old to understand the new.
Origin
From the Analects, book two: "reviewing the old, one knows the new".
How it is used
Describes solving present problems by studying tradition.
Hanja溫故知新
Simplified温故知新
Korean reading온고지신
Pinyinwēn gù zhī xīn
Frequently asked questions
Q. What does On-go-ji-sin mean?
溫故知新 · Study the old to understand the new.
Q. Where does On-go-ji-sin come from?
From the Analects, book two: "reviewing the old, one knows the new".
Q. How is On-go-ji-sin used?
Describes solving present problems by studying tradition.
Idioms in the same group
有備無患 Yu-bi-mu-hwanIf you prepare in advance, there is nothing to worry about.易地思之 Yeok-ji-sa-jiThink about it after swapping places with the other person.初志一貫 Cho-ji-il-gwanCarry the resolve you started with all the way through, unchanged.名不虛傳 Myeong-bul-heo-jeonThe reputation was not passed on in vain — it lives up to the name.靑出於藍 Cheong-chul-eo-ramThe blue drawn from the indigo plant is bluer than the plant — the student surpasses the teacher.大器晩成 Dae-gi-man-seongA great vessel takes long to finish — those destined for greatness succeed late.
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.