是古非今 shì gǔ fēi jīn prefer the old and reject the new

Explanation

指不加分析地肯定古代的，否定现代的。形容思想保守，墨守成规。

To blindly affirm the past and deny the present. Describes conservative and rigid thinking.

Origin Story

话说清朝时期，有一位老秀才，一生钻研四书五经，深信古人所说皆为真理。一日，县里来了个洋人，带来了新式照相机，老秀才非但不感兴趣，反而大加斥责，说这玩意儿是妖术，会摄人魂魄，是古非今，大逆不道。洋人无奈，只好作罢。其实，照相机是利用光学原理拍摄照片，并没有什么妖术，老秀才只因固执己见，是古非今，才会如此抵触新事物。后来，照相机技术普及，老秀才才慢慢明白自己的错误，却也错失了学习新技术的机会。

huà shuō qīng cháo shí qī, yǒu yī wèi lǎo xiù cái, yī shēng zuān yán sì shū wǔ jīng, shēn xìn gǔ rén suǒ shuō jiē wèi zhēn lǐ. yī rì, xiàn lǐ lái le gè yáng rén, dài lái le xīn shì zhào xiàng jī, lǎo xiù cái fēi dàn bù gǎn xìng qù, fǎn ér dà jiā chì zé, shuō zhè wán yì er shì yāo shù, huì shè rén hún pò, shì gǔ fēi jīn, dà nì bù dào. yáng rén wú nài, zhǐ hǎo zuò bà. qí shí, zhào xiàng jī shì lì yòng guāng xué yuán lǐ pāi shè zhào piàn, bìng méiyǒu shén me yāo shù, lǎo xiù cái zhǐ yīn gù zhí jǐ jiàn, shì gǔ fēi jīn, cái huì rú cǐ dǐ chù xīn shì wù. hòu lái, zhào xiàng jī jì shù pǔ jí, lǎo xiù cái cái màn màn míng bái zì jǐ de cuò wù, què yě cuò shī le xué xí xīn jì shù de jī huì.

In the Qing Dynasty, there was an old scholar who devoted his life to studying the Four Books and Five Classics, firmly believing in the truth of what the ancients said. One day, a foreigner came to the county and brought a new-style camera. The old scholar was not only uninterested but also strongly criticized it, saying that this thing was witchcraft, would take away people's souls, and was perverse and against the old ways. The foreigner could only give up. In fact, the camera uses optical principles to take pictures, and there is no witchcraft involved. The old scholar only because of his stubborn opinion, blindly denied the new things, so he resisted this new thing. Later, as camera technology became popular, the old scholar slowly understood his mistakes, but he also missed the opportunity to learn new technologies.

Usage

用于批评那些顽固不化，墨守成规的人。

yòng yú pī píng nà xiē wángù bù huà, mò shǒu chéng guī de rén。

Used to criticize those who are stubborn and inflexible.

Examples

• 他总是是古非今，不肯接受新的事物。

  tā zǒngshì shì gǔ fēi jīn, bù kěn jiēshòu xīn de shìwù.

  He always clings to the old and rejects the new.

• 这种是古非今的观点，早已过时了。

  zhè zhǒng shì gǔ fēi jīn de guāndiǎn, zǎo yǐ guòshí le。

  This outdated point of view has long been obsolete.

Related Idioms

• 墨守成规

• 故步自封

Opposite Idioms

• 厚今薄古

• 与时俱进