suy cổ nghiệm kim

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Weigh the old to test the new — history is the instrument the present is measured with.

Literally: infer from antiquity, verify the present
Sources & notes

Discovered via Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897; public domain, via vi.wikisource); retrieved 2026-08-01. Source: source ↗ Attested in Tục ngữ, cổ ngữ, gia ngôn (Huỳnh Tịnh Của, 1897). Definition is an original editorial synthesis, not copied from the source.

Common questions

What does “suy cổ nghiệm kim” mean?

Weigh the old to test the new — history is the instrument the present is measured with. Literally: infer from antiquity, verify the present

Is “suy cổ nghiệm kim” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.