# 融会贯通

róng huì guàn tōng

Connect knowledge into a coherent understanding

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Merge, understand, and connect throughout

**Traditional Chinese:** 融會貫通

**Register:** Positive · formal

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

## When to use it

Use for integrating ideas rather than learning them in isolation.

It implies understanding relationships, not just remembering many facts.

## Behind the words

The expression brings together merging and connection. Traditional educational usage values knowledge understood as a whole.

融 and 会 suggest integration, while 贯通 suggests understanding that runs through the whole. The idiom describes connected mastery rather than a pile of separate facts. It often applies to different parts of a subject or several related fields. The emphasis is being able to see how knowledge works together and use it coherently.

## Examples

把语法和实际例子联系起来，才能融会贯通。

### Traditional Chinese

把語法和實際例子聯繫起來，才能融會貫通。

bǎ yǔ fǎ hé shí jì lì zǐ lián xì qǐ lái ， cái néng róng huì guàn tōng 。

Connecting grammar with real examples helps you develop a coherent understanding.

他把历史、文学和语言知识融会贯通，讲得很清楚。

### Traditional Chinese

他把歷史、文學和語言知識融會貫通，講得很清楚。

tā bǎ lì shǐ 、 wén xué hé yǔ yán zhī shi róng huì guàn tōng ， jiǎng dé hěn qīng chǔ 。

He integrated his knowledge of history, literature, and language into a clear explanation.

只记住公式还不够，要把概念融会贯通。

### Traditional Chinese

只記住公式還不夠，要把概念融會貫通。

zhī jì zhù gōng shì hái bú gòu ， yào bǎ gài niàn róng huì guàn tōng 。

Memorizing formulas is not enough; the concepts need to form a connected understanding.

她经过反复实践，终于把课堂上的知识融会贯通。

### Traditional Chinese

她經過反覆實踐，終於把課堂上的知識融會貫通。

tā jīng guò fǎn fù shí jiàn ， zhōng yú bǎ kè táng shàng de zhī shi róng huì guàn tōng 。

Repeated practice finally helped her connect what she had learned in class.

## 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=665&q=1&webMd=1&la=0)

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E8%9E%8D%E6%9C%83%E8%B2%AB%E9%80%9A)

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