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博观而约取

博觀而約取
bóguānéryuēqǔ
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 observe widely, but take sparingly
  2. 2 (on study and writing) read broadly, extract essentials
  3. 3 (lit.) broad observation, concentrated taking

Examples

做学问要博观而约取，读得多，用得精。
Zuò xuéwèn yào bó guān ér yuē qǔ, dú de duō, yòng de jīng.
Scholarship requires 'broad observation and selective use' — read widely, apply precisely.
他主张博观而约取，厚积而薄发。
Tā zhǔzhāng bó guān ér yuē qǔ, hòu jī ér bó fā.
He advocates 'wide observation, selective extraction; thick accumulation, sparing release.'

Tips

history
From 苏轼《稼说送张琥》(Su Shi, Northern Song): 博观而约取，厚积而薄发 (Observe widely but take sparingly; accumulate deeply but release sparingly). Written as advice to his friend Zhang Hu on the agricultural metaphor — a field must be deeply turned and well-rested before it yields. A gold-standard motto in Chinese education, often inscribed in schools and libraries.
usage
Almost always quoted as the full four-phrase maxim 博观而约取，厚积而薄发. 约 here = 'sparingly, concentrated,' not 'approximate.' 取 = 'to take, to select.'

Stroke Order

博 bó
观 guān
而 ér
约 yuē
取 qǔ