举一反三

舉一反三

jǔyī-fǎnsān

idiom HSK 7-9 #94,448

Meanings

1 to draw inferences from one example
2 to apply knowledge flexibly

Characters

raise; bring up

Literally 'raise one, infer three' - learn one thing and understand many.

Examples

HSK 5

他很聪明，总能举一反三。

Tā hěn cōngming, zǒng néng jǔyīfǎnsān.

He is very smart and can always apply knowledge flexibly.

HSK 6

好学生要学会举一反三。

Hǎo xuéshēng yào xuéhuì jǔyīfǎnsān.

Good students should learn to draw inferences from one example.

Tips

history

From the Analects of Confucius (论语): 'If I show one corner and the student cannot come back with the other three, I will not repeat.' Confucius valued students who could extrapolate.

Stroke Order

举 jǔ

一 yī

反 fǎn

三 sān