# 食古不化

shí gǔ bù huà

Follow old learning without adapting it

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Eat the ancient without digesting it

**Register:** Critical · formal

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

## When to use it

Criticize rigid use of inherited ideas.

Respecting tradition is not necessarily rigidity.

## Understanding the expression

Eating gives a useful image of learning: material must be digested before it becomes nourishment. Here the person takes in old knowledge but fails to understand or adapt it. The expression criticizes treating inherited rules as fixed answers when circumstances have changed. It does not reject older ideas themselves. A tradition can still be valuable when someone grasps its purpose and thoughtfully applies it to the present situation.

## Examples

照搬旧教材而不看学生需求，是食古不化。

### Traditional Chinese

照搬舊教材而不看學生需求，是食古不化。

zhào bān jiù jiào cái ér bú kàn xué shēng xū qiú ， shì shí gǔ bù huà 。

Copying old textbooks without considering students' needs is rigid traditionalism.

他研究古书，却从不食古不化。

### Traditional Chinese

他研究古書，卻從不食古不化。

tā yán jiū gǔ shū ， què cóng bù shí gǔ bù huà 。

He studies ancient books without applying them rigidly.

管理制度不能食古不化，要适应新情况。

### Traditional Chinese

管理制度不能食古不化，要適應新情況。

guǎn lǐ zhì dù bù néng shí gǔ bù huà ， yào shì yìng xīn qíng kuàng 。

Management rules must adapt instead of clinging blindly to old ideas.

她批评那篇文章食古不化，缺少现实分析。

### Traditional Chinese

她批評那篇文章食古不化，缺少現實分析。

tā pī píng nà piān wén zhāng shí gǔ bù huà ， quē shǎo xiàn shí fēn xī 。

She criticized the article for rigid old thinking and little practical analysis.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E9%A3%9F%E5%8F%A4%E4%B8%8D%E5%8C%96)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=66&webMd=1&la=0)

## Keep exploring

- [拭目以待 shì mù yǐ dài Wait attentively to see what happens ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/shi-mu-yi-dai)

- [十全十美 shí quán shí měi Complete and without apparent shortcomings ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/shi-quan-shi-mei)

- [拾人牙慧 shí rén yá huì Repeat others' ideas without original thought ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/shi-ren-ya-hui)

- [世外桃源 shì wài táo yuán A peaceful haven apart from worldly troubles ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/shi-wai-tao-yuan)

## Keep this one close.

Save useful idioms, read offline, and revisit them with flashcards in Almanac.

[View on the App Store ](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6819590452)

[Previous idiom 适得其反 ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/shi-de-qi-fan) [Next idiom 事过境迁 ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/shi-guo-jing-qian)