博闻强记

Pronunciation: bó wén qiáng jì Literal meaning: Well-read and strong memory

Origin & Usage

The Book of Rites pairs them: widely informed (博闻) and retaining strongly (强记), listed among the marks of an educated person. The older form writes the last character 识, read zhì in that sense, and both forms are current. What the phrase values is memory as a component of learning rather than an alternative to it — reading widely counts for little if nothing stays. It is the natural compliment for someone who can produce the relevant fact without looking it up, and it has survived intact into an age that has made the trick much less necessary.

Examples

English: "Her ability to recall facts and details made her an excellent historian."

Chinese: 她博闻强记，成为了一位优秀的历史学家。