因材施教

yīncáishījiào

idiom

Meanings

1 to teach according to the student's ability
2 to tailor instruction to the individual learner
3 differentiated teaching

Characters

aptitude; talent

to apply; to give

Examples

好的老师懂得因材施教。

Hǎo de lǎoshī dǒngde yīncáishījiào.

A good teacher knows how to tailor teaching to each student.

我们要因材施教，不能一刀切。

Wǒmen yào yīncáishījiào, bù néng yīdāoqiē.

We should teach students according to their abilities — one size does not fit all.

因材施教是孔子最早提出的教育原则。

Yīncáishījiào shì Kǒngzǐ zuìzǎo tíchū de jiàoyù yuánzé.

Teaching in accordance with the student's aptitude was first proposed by Confucius.

Tips

history

Traced to Zhu Xi's Song-dynasty commentary on 《论语·为政》 quoting Cheng Yi: 各因其材之高下与其所失而告之 — 'instruct each according to the level of their ability and their particular shortcomings.' The idea is pure Confucian pedagogy.

culture

A foundational concept in Chinese education philosophy, still cited today in curriculum debates. Often invoked against rigid exam-focused teaching.

Stroke Order

因 yīn

材 cái

施 shī

教 jiāo