举一反三
- Literal
- to raise one and come back with three
- Figurative
- To grasp one thing and work out the rest on your own; to learn one case and apply it to many similar ones.
Where does 举一反三 come from?
In the 《论语》, Confucius describes how he taught: he wouldn't open the way for a student until the student had struggled to understand and couldn't find the words. And he added that if he held up one corner and the student couldn't come back with the other three, he wouldn't repeat the lesson. The image is a square object: anyone who has truly understood one corner can work out the others alone. That's where the idiom comes from, said today of someone who learns one case and carries it over to many others. In school and at work it's said above all in praise of someone who catches on fast and doesn't need to be told twice.
Source (出处): 《论语·述而》
How is 举一反三 used? Two examples
- 老师希望学生能举一反三，而不是死记硬背。
The teacher wants students to extend what they learn to other cases, not just memorize it by rote.
- 这道题讲一遍就够了，他能举一反三。
Explaining this problem once is enough; he can take it from there and figure out the rest.
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