因材施教
- Literal
- to apply the teaching according to the timber
- Figurative
- To teach each person according to their character and aptitude instead of applying one method to the whole group.
Where does 因材施教 come from?
In the Analects, Zilu asks Confucius whether he should act at once on what he has just heard, and the master answers that he can hardly do so while his father and elder brother are still alive. Ran You asks the same question and Confucius tells him to act right away. Gongxi Hua, having heard both answers, is baffled and asks why. Ran You holds back, Confucius says, so I push him forward; Zilu has nerve enough for two, so I rein him in. The four-character phrase is not in the Analects itself: later commentators coined it to sum up that way of teaching.
Source (出处): 《论语·先进》
How is 因材施教 used? Two examples
- 好老师会因材施教，不会对所有学生都一个样。
A good teacher tailors the lesson to each student instead of treating them all the same.
- 对她要严一点，对他要多鼓励，这就是因材施教。
With her you have to be stricter, with him you have to keep encouraging — each one needs a different hand.
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