借古讽今

借古諷今

jiègǔ-fěngjīn

idiom

Meanings

1 to use the past to criticize the present
2 to satirize current affairs through historical allusion

Characters

to borrow / by means of

Examples

HSK 4

他写文章常常借古讽今。

Tā xiě wénzhāng chángcháng jiègǔ-fěngjīn.

He often uses historical allusions to satirize the present in his essays.

HSK 7-9

这部小说借古讽今，针砭时弊。

Zhè bù xiǎoshuō jiègǔ-fěngjīn, zhēnbiān shíbì.

This novel uses the past to criticize the present, exposing current ills.

Tips

usage

A go-to label in Chinese literary criticism for satirical essays (杂文 záwén) and historical dramas. 鲁迅 (Lu Xun) is the canonical practitioner - his essays attacked 1930s society through ancient stories.

memory

Read it as a chain: 借 (borrow) 古 (ancient) -> 讽 (satirize) 今 (present). 'Borrow the old to mock the new.'

Stroke Order

借 jiè

古 gǔ

讽 fěng

今 jīn