食古不化

shígǔbùhuà

食古不化 — shígǔbùhuà

1. to swallow ancient learning without digesting it (idiom); to be pedantic without truly mastering one's subject

   他学了很多古书，但只是食古不化，不能灵活应用。 tā xué le hěnduō gǔshū dàn zhǐshì shígǔbùhuà bùnéng línghuó yìngyòng — He studied many classical books, but only swallowed ancient learning without digesting it and cannot apply it flexibly.