切问而近思

切問而近思

qièwèn ér jìnsī

quotation

Meanings

1 ask earnestly and reflect on what is near at hand
2 Confucian precept — study starts with concrete, immediate questions rather than grand abstractions

做学问要切问而近思，不要空谈玄理。

Zuò xuéwèn yào qièwèn'érjìnsī, bùyào kōngtán xuán lǐ.

Scholarship should 'ask earnestly and reflect on what is near' — don't just chatter about abstractions.

他告诫学生：切问而近思，仁在其中矣。

Tā gàojiè xuéshēng: qièwèn'érjìnsī, rén zài qízhōng yǐ.

He reminded the students: ask earnestly, reflect on what is near — humaneness lies within that.

history

From 《论语·子张》: '博学而笃志，切问而近思，仁在其中矣。' Attributed to 子夏 (Zi Xia), a disciple of Confucius. 'Humaneness lies within' these four study habits.

usage

切 (qiè) here = 'earnestly / urgently,' not 'to cut.' 近思 = 'think about what is near,' i.e. don't leap to abstractions before grasping the immediate.

切 qiē

问 wèn

而 ér

近 jìn

思 sī