述而不作

shùérbùzuò

述而不作 — shùérbùzuò

1. to transmit or repeat the words of others without creating original ideas; to be a transmitter or commentator rather than an original author

   他自称述而不作，只整理前人的研究成果。 tā zìchēng shùérbùzuò zhǐ zhěnglǐ qiánrén de yánjiūchéngguǒ — He claims merely to transmit rather than create, only organizing his predecessors' research.