# 触类旁通

chù lèi páng tōng

Infer related knowledge from what you understand

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Touch one category and understand others

**Traditional Chinese:** 觸類旁通

**Register:** Positive · formal

[Perspective](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/perspective)

## When to use it

Use for extending a principle to related areas.

The connection should be meaningful, not a guess based on superficial similarity.

## Behind the words

Traditional thought connects recognizing a category with understanding related cases. The phrase praises reasoning that travels beyond one example.

类 points to a category or related kind. The expression describes using knowledge of one area to understand connected areas. The link must be meaningful, not merely a superficial resemblance. Compared with 举一反三, it often emphasizes reaching into related classes of knowledge rather than extending one particular example to several similar cases.

## Examples

理解了这个原理，其他问题就能触类旁通。

### Traditional Chinese

理解了這個原理，其他問題就能觸類旁通。

lǐ jiě le zhè ge yuán lǐ ， qí tā wèn tí jiù néng chù lèi páng tōng 。

Once you understand this principle, you can apply it to related problems.

懂了这一种修辞手法，他就能触类旁通，理解类似表达。

### Traditional Chinese

懂了這一種修辭手法，他就能觸類旁通，理解類似表達。

dǒng le zhè yì zhǒng xiū cí shǒu fǎ ， tā jiù néng chù lèi páng tōng ， lǐ jiě lèi sì biǎo dá 。

Understanding this rhetorical technique helped him recognize related expressions.

修过自行车以后，她触类旁通，学会了维护其他简单机械。

### Traditional Chinese

修過自行車以後，她觸類旁通，學會了維護其他簡單機械。

xiū guò zì xíng chē yǐ hòu ， tā chù lèi páng tōng ， xué huì le wéi hù qí tā jiǎn dān jī xiè 。

Repairing bicycles helped her infer how to maintain other simple machines.

学习不能只记单个答案，还要触类旁通。

### Traditional Chinese

學習不能只記單個答案，還要觸類旁通。

xué xí bù néng zhī jì dān gè dá àn ， hái yào chù lèi páng tōng 。

Learning should extend to related cases rather than stop at individual answers.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 4, 2026.

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=332&q=1&webMd=1&la=0)

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E8%A7%B8%E9%A1%9E%E6%97%81%E9%80%9A)

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