循序渐进
- Literal
- to follow the sequence and advance gradually
- Figurative
- To move forward in order and step by step, without skipping stages or trying to arrive early; said above all of studying and of work.
Where does 循序渐进 come from?
The phrase is fixed by Zhu Xi in his commentary on the 《论语》. In the 宪问 chapter, Confucius says of himself that he neither blames Heaven nor holds other people at fault: he learns what lies below and reaches what lies above. Glossing that line, Zhu Xi explains that the Master is only describing his own way of studying and correcting himself, 循序渐进, "following the sequence and advancing little by little," with no extraordinary knowledge to set him apart from anyone else. Hence the modern sense: move through the stages, and do not step onto the next one until the last is solid. It suits a course, a training plan, or a reform, and the register leans formal.
Source (出处): 朱熹《论语集注》
How is 循序渐进 used? Two examples
- 学中文得循序渐进，别一上来就背长句子。
Chinese has to be learned step by step; don't start out memorizing long sentences.
- 教练让我循序渐进地加量，别急着跑马拉松。
My coach told me to build up the load gradually and not rush into running a marathon.
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