p8nda
p8nda BETA
Home Dictionary Discord

则孤陋而寡闻

則孤陋而寡聞
zégūlòuérguǎwén
phrase

Meanings

  1. 1 then one becomes narrow and ill-informed
  2. 2 (fig.) the predictable consequence of learning without companions or debate
  3. 3 (lit.) then solitary-crude and few-heard

Examples

独学而无友，则孤陋而寡闻——所以要多交学习伙伴。
Dúxué ér wú yǒu, zé gūlòu ér guǎwén — suǒyǐ yào duō jiāo xuéxí huǒbàn.
'Study alone without peers, and you become narrow and ill-informed' — so cultivate study partners.
闭门造车，则孤陋而寡闻，难成大器。
Bìmén zàochē, zé gūlòu ér guǎwén, nán chéng dà qì.
Building a cart behind closed doors — 'narrow and ill-informed' — one can hardly become great.

Tips

history
From 《礼记·学记》(Li Ji, Record of Learning, ca. 2nd c. BCE): 独学而无友，则孤陋而寡闻 (If one studies alone without companions, then one becomes narrow and ill-informed). The four-character 孤陋寡闻 has since crystallized as a standalone idiom meaning 'narrow-minded and ignorant,' often used self-deprecatingly: 我孤陋寡闻，请教一下 ('being ill-informed, may I ask...'). This entry preserves the full consequence clause with its 则 (then).
usage
Always follows 独学而无友 ('study alone without peers'). Can also stand alone as the compressed chengyu 孤陋寡闻. Modern use: argument for open discussion, peer feedback, cross-disciplinary study.

Stroke Order

则 zé
孤 gū
陋 lòu
而 ér
寡 guǎ
闻 wén