泥古

nìgǔ

verb

Meanings

1 to stick rigidly to ancient ways
2 to be stubbornly conservative
3 to slavishly imitate the past

Characters

Examples

改革不该泥古，也不该全盘否定传统。

Nìgǔ, quánpán chuántǒng.

Reform shouldn't slavishly imitate the past, but it shouldn't reject tradition outright either.

他过于泥古，拒绝采用任何新技术。

Tā guòyú nìgǔ, rènhé xīn jìshù.

He was so stuck in old ways that he refused to adopt any new technology.

Tips

usage

The 泥 here is nì (fourth tone), meaning 'stuck; rigid', not the everyday ní ('mud'). Often appears in the four-character set phrase 泥古不化 ('stuck in old ways, unable to change').

Stroke Order

泥 ní

古 gǔ