殷鉴不远 — “The lesson of the past is not far to seek”
殷鉴不远 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “the lesson of the past is not far to seek”. One should take warning from previous failures or historical examples. Literally, “Yin's mirror is not distant”.
殷鉴不远 Pronunciation and Pinyin
殷鉴不远 Character Breakdown
Stroke OrderExample Sentence with 殷鉴不远
Origin and Story of 殷鉴不远
Towards the end of the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou of Shang was a tyrannical and incompetent ruler, leading to brutal governance internally and widespread corruption in society.
Zhou Wen Wang, the 'Chief of the Western Lords,' out of goodwill, offered sincere advice: 'The lessons of the Yin (Shang) Dynasty need not be sought far; they are right there in the generation of Jie of Xia.'
However, King Zhou of Shang did not heed this advice and was eventually overthrown by King Wu of Zhou.
Idioms Related to 殷鉴不远
Synonyms of 殷鉴不远
Antonyms of 殷鉴不远
More idioms starting with 殷
- yīn殷tiān天dòng动dì地Earth-shattering; deafening; tremendous
- yīn殷tiān天bì蔽rì日overwhelmingly vast, reddening sky and blocking sun
- yīn殷tiān天zhèn震dì地earth-shattering sound
- yīn殷yōu忧qǐ启shèng圣Profound worry inspires sagacity
- yīn殷yīn殷qín勤qín勤earnest and diligent
- yīn殷yīn殷tún屯tún屯numerous and abundant
- yīn殷yīn殷tián田tián田Grand, resonant, or booming sound
- yīn殷mín民fù阜lì利enrich the people and make resources abundant
- yīn殷mín民fù阜cái财enrich the people and make resources plentiful
- yīn殷hào浩shū书kōng空Profound astonishment or bewilderment
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Open the tool →Questions about 殷鉴不远
What does 殷鉴不远 mean?
殷鉴不远 (yīn jiàn bù yuǎn) is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “the lesson of the past is not far to seek”.
How do you pronounce 殷鉴不远?
殷鉴不远 is pronounced yīn jiàn bù yuǎn in Mandarin Chinese.
What does 殷鉴不远 literally mean?
Literally, 殷鉴不远 means “Yin's mirror is not distant”. It is used to mean “the lesson of the past is not far to seek”.
Where does 殷鉴不远 come from?
殷鉴不远 comes from a classical Chinese story dating back to ancient China. The full story is on this page.
What is the Chinese definition of 殷鉴不远?
殷：指商朝后期；鉴：镜子。指殷商子孙应以夏的灭亡为借戒。后泛指前人的教训就在眼前。