Meaning of 述而不作
述而不作 means to transmit (the teachings of the ancients) without creating; to paraphrase others' ideas without adding one's own original insights. Pronounced shù ér bù zuò.
- to transmit (the teachings of the ancients) without creating; to paraphrase others' ideas without adding one's own original insights
Definitions & Examples
Kǒng孔
zǐ子
tí提
chàng倡
shù述
ér而
bù不
zuò作
，
zūn尊
zhòng重
gǔ古
dài代
wén文
huà化
chuán传
tǒng统
。
Confucius advocated transmitting tradition without innovating, respecting ancient cultural heritage.
Xiě写
lùn论
wén文
bù不
néng能
zhǐ只
shì是
shù述
ér而
bù不
zuò作
，
bì必
xū须
yào要
yǒu有
zì自
jǐ己
de的
jiàn见
jiě解
。
When writing a thesis, one cannot simply paraphrase others without adding original ideas; you must have your own insights.
Tā他
de的
wén文
zhāng章
zǒng总
shì是
shù述
ér而
bù不
zuò作
，
quē缺
fá乏
yuán原
chuàng创
xìng性
。
His articles always merely transmit others' ideas without creating anything new, lacking originality.
Zhè这
wèi位
xué学
zhě者
suī虽
rán然
shù述
ér而
bù不
zuò作
，
dàn但
duì对
gǔ古
jí籍
de的
zhěng整
lǐ理
gòng贡
xiàn献
hěn很
dà大
。
Although this scholar transmitted without innovating, he made great contributions to the collation of ancient texts.