stick to antiquity; rigidly adhere to tradition
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesverb
to be bound by ancient systems or sayings; to rigidly adhere to tradition without adapting to circumstances
formalOften used in formal, literary, or academic contexts to criticize excessive adherence to tradition. Commonly appears in the phrase 泥古不化.
Zuò做
xué学
wèn问
bù不
néng能
nì泥
gǔ古
，
yào要
gǎn敢
yú于
tí提
chū出
xīn新
guān观
diǎn点
。
One cannot stick blindly to antiquity in scholarship; one must dare to put forward new ideas.
Tā他
zhì治
xué学
yán严
jǐn谨
，
dàn但
yǒu有
shí时
wèi未
miǎn免
guò过
yú于
nì泥
gǔ古
。
His research is rigorous, but at times he is excessively bound by ancient models.
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Nì泥
gǔ古
bù不
huà化
shì是
xué学
shù术
yán研
jiū究
de的
dà大
jì忌
。
Being rigidly bound by antiquity is a great taboo in academic research.
Wǒ我
men们
xué学
xí习
chuán传
tǒng统
shì是
wèi为
le了
chuàng创
xīn新
，
ér而
bù不
shì是
wèi为
le了
nì泥
gǔ古
。
We study tradition in order to innovate, not to be slaves to antiquity.