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食古不化

shígǔbùhuà

to swallow ancient learning without digesting it (idiom) / to be pedantic without having a mastery of one's subject

Character Breakdown

食
shí
food; to eat
HSK 5
古
gǔ
old, classic, ancient
HSK 5
不
bù
no, not, un-; negative prefix
HSK 1
化
huà
to change, to convert, to reform; -ize
HSK 3

Additional Information

Category
Chinese
HSK Character Level
—
HSK Word Level
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