每天成语
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推陈出新

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: tuī chén chū xīn
  • English Translation: Weeding through the old to bring forth the new
  • Idiom Composition: 「推」（To push out or discard (in this context, to set aside the old).）＋「陈」（Old, stale, or outdated (originally referring to old grain in a granary).）＋「出」（To produce, bring forth, or emerge.）＋「新」（New, fresh, or innovative.）
  • Meaning: To discard the outdated or stale elements of the past and develop something new and better in their place. It emphasizes the process of inheriting the essence of tradition while innovating for the modern era.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「推陈出新」 contains the following nuances:

  • Inheritance and Development: This idiom does not imply creation from scratch. Instead, it emphasizes improving and evolving based on existing culture or technology.
  • Metabolism (Original Meaning): Originally, the term referred to the physiological process of metabolism—expelling waste from the body and taking in new nutrients. Today, it is used metaphorically for any form of innovation.

3. Usage

「推陈出新」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Culture & Arts: Used to praise traditional arts, literature, or design that evolves by incorporating modern elements while respecting heritage.
    • Example:「这家老字号通过推陈出新，开发出了深受年轻人喜爱的传统糕点。」
      （This time-honored brand has innovated upon tradition by developing traditional pastries that are deeply loved by young people.)
  • Technology & Product Development: Used when refreshing existing technology or product lines to release superior new versions.
    • Example:「科技公司必须不断推陈出新，才能在激烈的市场竞争中生存。」
      （Tech companies must constantly bring forth new ideas to survive in the fierce market competition.)
  • Systems & Management: Refers to reforming outdated parts of an organization's systems or management methods to introduce new mechanisms.
    • Example:「为了适应新的经济形势，公司的管理制度也在推陈出新。」
      （To adapt to the new economic situation, the company's management systems are also being refreshed and updated.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 他在继承前人技艺的基础上推陈出新，创造了独特的绘画风格。
    （Based on inheriting the skills of his predecessors, he innovated and created a unique painting style.）
  2. 只有敢于推陈出新，我们的文化才能保持旺盛的生命力。
    （Only by daring to weed through the old and bring forth the new can our culture maintain its vigorous vitality.）
  3. 这次的时装秀展示了设计师推陈出新的大胆尝试。
    （This fashion show displayed the designer's bold attempt to break new ground.）
  4. 手机应用市场变化极快，开发者需要时刻推陈出新。
    （The mobile app market changes extremely fast; developers are required to constantly innovate.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • The phrase originates from the writings of the famous poet Su Shi (苏轼), also known as Su Dongpo (苏东坡), during the Song Dynasty (宋朝). It was originally used in the context of health, specifically how eating white porridge helps the body's 'metabolism' (推陈致新) by clearing the stomach.
  • While it initially described physiological processes, the meaning expanded to fields like culture, art, and politics to mean 'breaking old conventions to create something new.' Its status in modern Chinese was further solidified when Mao Zedong (毛泽东) used it to describe the policy for reforming traditional opera.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

推陈出新 (tuī chén chū xīn) describes the act of evolving or innovating by building upon existing foundations. Rather than simply discarding the old, it suggests a 'progressive inheritance' where one keeps the good parts of tradition and adds new, creative elements. It is frequently used to praise breakthroughs in culture, art, and technology.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

tuī chén chū xīn
推陈出新
Weeding out the old to bring forth the new
tí dào提到“chuàng xīn创新”，wǒ men我们wǎng wǎng往往jué de觉得shì是yào要chuàng zào创造yí gè一个wán quán完全mò shēng陌生de的dōng xī东西。

When we mention "innovation," we often feel it means creating something completely unfamiliar.

hǎo xiàng好像bì xū必须bǎ把jiù旧de的quán bù全部rēng diào扔掉，xīn新de的cái才huì会chū xiàn出现。

It seems as if the old must be entirely discarded for the new to appear.

dàn但qí shí其实，shì jiè世界shàng上hěn很duō多měi hǎo美好de的“xīn新”shì wù事物，wǎng wǎng往往shì是cóng从“jiù旧”de的dōng xī东西lǐ里shēng zhǎng生长chū lái出来de的。

But in reality, many beautiful "new" things in the world often grow out of the "old."

zhōng wén中文lǐ里yǒu有yí gè一个chéng yǔ成语，zhuān mén专门yòng lái用来xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种guān xì关系，jiào叫“tuī chén chū xīn推陈出新”。

In Chinese, there is an idiom specifically used to describe this relationship, called 推陈出新.

zhè ge这个cí词de的zì miàn字面yì si意思hěn很yǒu有huà miàn gǎn画面感。

The literal meaning of this word is very vivid.

“chén陈”，yì si意思shì是chén jiù陈旧de的、guò qù过去de的shì wù事物；“tuī推”，shì是yī zhǒng一种tuī dòng推动、pái chú排除，yě也shì是yī zhǒng一种gēng tì更替。

陈 means old or past things; 推 is a kind of pushing or excluding, and also a kind of replacement.

hé qǐ lái合起来，jiù shì就是bǎ把jiù旧de的tuī kāi推开，ràng让xīn新de的chǎn shēng产生。

Put together, it means pushing away the old to let the new emerge.

hěn很yǒu yì si有意思de的shì是，zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语zuì最zǎo早qí shí其实hé和chī吃yǒu guān有关。

Interestingly, this idiom was originally related to eating.

gǔ rén古人rèn wéi认为，hē喝zhōu粥kě yǐ可以bāng zhù帮助cháng wèi肠胃bǎ把jiù旧de的fèi wù废物pái chū排出qù去，ràng让shēn tǐ身体xī shōu吸收xīn新de的yíng yǎng营养。

Ancient people believed that drinking porridge could help the stomach and intestines discharge old waste and let the body absorb new nutrients.

zhè这shì是yī zhǒng一种xīn chén dài xiè新陈代谢。

This is a form of metabolism.

hòu lái后来，rén men人们gèng更duō多dì地yòng用tā它lái来xíng róng形容wén huà文化、yì shù艺术huò zhě或者jì shù技术de的fā zhǎn发展。

Later, people used it more to describe the development of culture, art, or technology.

bǐ rú比如，yī jiā一家kāi开le了bǎi nián百年de的lǎo zì hào老字号diǎn xīn点心diàn店。

For example, a century-old traditional pastry shop.

rú guǒ如果tā它zhǐ只mài卖yì bǎi nián一百年qián前de的kǒu wèi口味，xiàn zài现在de的nián qīng rén年轻人kě néng可能bù不xǐ huān喜欢；dàn但rú guǒ如果tā它wán quán完全biàn chéng变成yī jiā一家xī shì西式dàn gāo蛋糕diàn店，tā它jiù就shī qù失去le了zì jǐ自己de的líng hún灵魂。

If it only sells flavors from a hundred years ago, young people today might not like it; but if it completely turns into a Western cake shop, it loses its soul.

zhǐ yǒu只有dāng当tā它bǎo liú保留le了chuán tǒng传统de的jì yì技艺，yòu又jié hé结合le了xiàn dài rén现代人de的kǒu wèi口味，zuò chū做出le了jì yǒu既有lì shǐ历史gǎn感、yòu又ràng让rén人gǎn dào感到jīng xǐ惊喜de的xīn新diǎn xīn点心shí时，wǒ men我们cái才huì会shuō说：zhè这cái才shì是zhēn zhèng真正de的“tuī chén chū xīn推陈出新”。

Only when it preserves traditional skills while combining them with modern tastes to create new pastries that have both a sense of history and a sense of surprise, will we say: this is true 推陈出新.

suǒ yǐ所以，zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语zuì最mí rén迷人de的dì fāng地方zài yú在于，tā它bù不bǎ把“xīn新”hé和“jiù旧”kàn zuò看作dí rén敌人。

Therefore, the most charming part of this idiom is that it does not see "new" and "old" as enemies.

tā它gào sù告诉wǒ men我们yào要qù diào去掉jiù旧shì wù事物zhōng中guò shí过时de的bù fèn部分，dàn但yào要bǎo liú保留tā它de的gēn jī根基。

It tells us to remove the outdated parts of old things but keep their foundation.

tā它tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们：zuì hǎo最好de的chuàng xīn创新，wǎng wǎng往往bú shì不是píng kōng凭空xiǎng xiàng想象，ér shì而是zhàn站zài在guò qù过去de的jī chǔ基础shàng上，wǎng qián往前zǒu走le了yī bù一步。

It reminds us: the best innovation is often not imagined out of thin air, but taking a step forward while standing on the foundation of the past.

xià cì下次，dāng当nǐ你kàn dào看到yī jiàn一件róng hé融合le了chuán tǒng传统yǔ与xiàn dài现代de的zuò pǐn作品，huò zhě或者kàn dào看到yí gè一个lǎo老pǐn pái品牌huàn fā焕发le了xīn新de的shēng mìng lì生命力shí时，nǐ你jiù就kě yǐ可以yòng用zhè ge这个cí词lái来xíng róng形容tā它。

Next time, when you see a work that blends tradition and modernity, or see an old brand radiating new vitality, you can use this word to describe it.

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