温故知新(おんこちしん)

おんこちしん
noun, expression
learning from the past to understand the new
formalidiomeducation
1. learning from the past to understand the new; studying the old to discover the new
A four-character idiom from the Analects of Confucius: by going back over what is old and studying it again, one gains new knowledge and insight.
温故知新(おんこちしん)の精神(せいしん)。
The spirit of learning from the past.
私(わたし)の座右(ざゆう)の銘(めい)は温故知新(おんこちしん)です。
My motto is "learn from the past to understand the new."
古(ふる)い建築技術(けんちくぎじゅつ)を見直(みなお)して新(あたら)しい家(いえ)づくりに生(い)かすのは、まさに温故知新(おんこちしん)だ。
Re-examining old building techniques and using them in new houses is exactly what learning from the past means.

From the Analects: 故(ふる)きを温(たず)ねて新(あたら)しきを知(し)る, "review the old and know the new." 温(おん) here means to go over again, not "warm." A favourite motto for speeches, school mottos, and the names of exhibitions that pair tradition with innovation.

Common collocations

  • 温故知新(おんこちしん)の精神(せいしん)で: in the spirit of learning from the past
  • まさに温故知新(おんこちしん)だ: that is exactly "learning from the past"

Similar words

general
Added 2026.9.28 9:59 · Revised 2026.9.28 9:59
31000/31103_onkochishin