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

HSK 5

他过于泥古，拒绝采用任何新技术。

Tā guòyú nìgǔ, jùjué cǎiyòng rènhé xīn jìshù.

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

HSK 6

改革不该泥古，也不该全盘否定传统。

Gǎigé bùgāi nìgǔ, yě bùgāi quánpán fǒudìng chuántǒng.

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

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