学以致用

Pronunciation: xué yǐ zhì yòng Literal meaning: Learn to apply

Origin & Usage

Study (学) in order to (以) arrive at (致) use (用). The argument behind it is very old, and Chinese philosophy returns to it constantly — most sharply in Wang Yangming's insistence that knowing and doing are a single thing, and that knowledge which never issues in action was never really knowledge. The four characters are the plain modern statement of that position. They turn up in school mottoes and curriculum debates, and they are the standard rebuke to an education that produces examination results and nothing else.

Examples

English: "She believes in applying knowledge to solve real-world problems."

Chinese: 她相信学以致用，解决实际问题。