兼收并蓄

兼收并蓄 (jiān shōu bìng xù) literally means “gather all store together” and expresses “embrace diverse ideas inclusively”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving wisdom and learning. It originates from ancient Chinese literature and remains commonly used in modern Mandarin.

Also searched as: jian shou bing xu, jian shou bing xu,兼收并蓄 meaning, 兼收并蓄 in english

Embrace diverse ideas inclusively

Pronunciation: jiān shōu bìng xù
Literal meaning: Gather all store together

Origin & Usage

This inclusive approach advocates gathering (收) comprehensively (兼) while storing (蓄) everything together (并), originating from Tang Dynasty intellectual movements. It gained prominence through scholar-officials like Liu Zongyuan who advocated synthesizing Confucian, Daoist, and Buddhist wisdom rather than rigid adherence to a single tradition. The phrase reflected a cosmopolitan philosophy emerging during Tang China's international golden age. During the Song renaissance, it became a methodological principle for encyclopedic scholarship that sought to preserve diverse knowledge systems. Modern usage celebrates intellectual openness and cross-disciplinary integration, particularly in research contexts where innovative solutions emerge from combining seemingly unrelated approaches.

Examples

English: "Her research methodology incorporated diverse approaches from multiple disciplines"

Chinese: 她的研究方法融合了多个学科的各种方法


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Related Chinese Idioms

Similar idioms about wisdom & learning

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 兼收并蓄 mean in English?

兼收并蓄 (jiān shōu bìng xù) literally translates to “Gather all store together” and is used to express “Embrace diverse ideas inclusively”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Wisdom & Learning category.

When is 兼收并蓄 used?

Situation: This idiom applies when describing situations involving embrace diverse ideas inclusively.

What is the pinyin for 兼收并蓄?

The pinyin pronunciation for 兼收并蓄 is “jiān shōu bìng xù”.