借鉴 jièjiàn to draw on (others' experience)
to draw on (others' experience); to learn from (how others do things); lesson to be learned (by observing others)
怎么记住“借鉴”: 借 borrow + 鉴 mirror = to draw on (others' experience).
汉字
用法
- To draw on others' experience as a reference - 借鉴国外的经验 (jièjiàn guówài de jīngyàn) learn from foreign experience.
- The 鉴 (mirror) is literal: you hold up what others did as a mirror to guide your own choices, taking their successes and failures as lessons.
- Distinct from 借助 (use as a tool) and 模仿 (mófǎng, imitate): 借鉴 is selective learning, not copying. Written register, common in essays and policy talk.