融会贯通

融會貫通

rónghuìguàntōng

idiom #56,287

Meanings

1 to integrate knowledge into deep understanding
2 to master thoroughly by connecting the parts
3 to synthesize and comprehend fully

Characters

to melt; to merge

to meet; to combine

to pierce through; to link

to go through; to comprehend

Examples

学习不能死记硬背，要融会贯通。

Xuéxí bùnéng sǐjìyìngbèi, yào rónghuìguàntōng.

Study shouldn't be rote memorisation — you have to integrate the knowledge.

经过多年研究，他对这门学问已经融会贯通。

Jīngguò duō nián yánjiū, tā duì zhè mén xuéwen yǐjīng rónghuìguàntōng.

After years of research he has a fully integrated mastery of the subject.

Tips

history

From 《朱子全书·学三》: Zhu Xi (Neo-Confucian philosopher) writes that only after long, deep effort can a learner '融会贯通' — melt the parts together and pierce through them. It's the payoff after prolonged rote study, not a shortcut around it.

Stroke Order

融 róng

会 huì

贯 guàn

通 tōng