lay more stress on the past than on the present

lay more stress on the past than on the present

Chinese idiom, Pinyin is h ò UG ǔ B ó J ī n, which means to praise the ancient and despise the modern; it is mostly used in academic research. It comes from Chuang Tzu's foreign things.

Notes on Idioms

Thick: praise, value; thin: despise, neglect.

The origin of Idioms

"Chuang Tzu Wai Wu" says, "I respect the past but despise the present, so do scholars."

Idiom usage

It refers to those who praise the ancient but despise the modern. The exploitation class, in order to maintain its own rule, does not allow the people to make progress. A brief talk on the past and the present by Xie Juezai