<blockquote>
  <p>事不師古而能長久者﹒非所聞也</p>
</blockquote>

<p>事 : working, you may shortcut it to governing in this context</p>

<p>不 : not</p>

<p>師 : learn, or imitate</p>

<p>古 : past</p>

<p>而 : and</p>

<p>能 : can be</p>

<p>長久 : long time</p>

<p>非: not</p>

<p>所聞: heard, maybe recorded</p>

<p>so, the verse is roughly:</p>

<p>[if the] governing (事) is not (不) imitate (師) to the past (古), and (而)[such governing] can (能) [last] long time (長久), it's unheard (非所聞).</p>

<p>that 淳于越 suggested that nations not using feudalism, would not last long.</p>

<p>some underlying asumptions:</p>

<p>in ancient china, both <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty" rel="nofollow noreferrer">商 dynasty (bc 1571 - 1046) </a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_dynasty" rel="nofollow noreferrer"> 周 dynasty (bc 1046 - 770)</a> used feudalism. compare to spring and autumn period (春秋), and warring states (戰國) period, these two dynasties lasted 400-500 years, which was a long time.</p>

<p>the related text in 秦始皇本紀, would started from "始皇置酒咸陽宮"</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>仆射周青臣進頌曰：「他時秦地不過千里，賴陛下神靈明聖，平定海內，放逐蠻夷，日月所照，莫不賓服。以諸侯為郡縣，人人自安樂，無戰爭之患，傳之萬世。自上古不及陛下威德。」</p>
</blockquote>

<p>then one of the master 淳于越 refuted:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>博士齊人淳于越進曰：「臣聞殷周之王千餘歲，封子弟功臣，自為枝輔。今陛下有海內，而子弟為匹夫，卒有田常、六卿之臣，無輔拂，何以相救哉？事不師古而能長久者，非所聞也。今青臣又面諛以重陛下之過，非忠臣。」</p>
</blockquote>

<p>last, the prime minister 李斯 suggested:</p>

<p>丞相李斯曰：「五帝不相復，三代不相襲，各以治，非其相反，時變異也。今陛下創大業，建萬世之功，固非愚儒所知。且越言乃三代之事，何足法也？異時諸侯并爭，厚招游學。今天下已定，法令出一，百姓當家則力農工，士則學習法令辟禁。今諸生不師今而學古，以非當世，惑亂黔首。丞相臣斯昧死言：古者天下散亂，莫之能一，是以諸侯并作，語皆道古以害今，飾虛言以亂實，人善其所私學，以非上之所建立。今皇帝并有天下，別黑白而定一尊。私學而相與非法教，人聞令下，則各以其學議之，入則心非，出則巷議，夸主以為名，異取以為高，率群下以造謗。如此弗禁，則主勢降乎上，黨與成乎下。禁之便。臣請史官非秦記皆燒之。非博士官所職，天下敢有藏詩、書、百家語者，悉詣守、尉雜燒之。有敢偶語詩書者棄市。以古非今者族。吏見知不舉者與同罪。令下三十日不燒，黥為城旦。所不去者，醫藥卜筮種樹之書。若欲有學法令，以吏為師。」</p>

<p>you may treat the text as argument of "feudalism" vs "totalitarianism"</p>

<p>the text maybe further elaborated, if you need :)</p>

<p>have fun :)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-28T14:36:07.860Z
一个老师在古早的中国看法中就是一个模仿者？
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-28T13:59:06.267Z
2017-08-28T13:59:06.267Z
水巷孑蠻
<p>司馬遷， 史記，<a href="http://ctext.org/shiji/qin-shi-huang-ben-ji" rel="nofollow noreferrer">秦始皇本紀</a>： </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>事不師古而能長久者，非所聞也。</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I only understand the very broad meaning should be similar to: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>That someone flourished without learning from the ancients, thereof I never heard.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>But, to understand more clearly, I have to know what role 事 plays here. Is it the work of the government, like Confucianism says:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>事君能致其身</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Then I have to translate "learn from the ancients in governance". Or is it just the object of 張久，some matter that is supposed to flourish?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-28T16:46:18.883Z
淳于越 want to make 秦始皇 believe his country should be grouped by many kindoms, just like 周. So 事 means national institutions
sfy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-29T02:06:35.097Z
事 means every/any thing here. 事不師古而能長久者，非所聞也。I have never heard that anything can last long if they don't learn from the ancestors/histories.
vuluvsa
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-31T01:56:18.690Z
凡事（在这里仅指 making a policy）不吸取前人经验而能长久存在的(国家)，从未听说过。事君 = works for king,  事 of 事不師古 = works for country.
Daniel Yang
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-28T13:23:05.130Z
search web: http://chengyu.911cha.com/MjN6YQ==.html 事不师古: 成语解释：形容做事不吸取前人经验 . 成语年代：古代成语
user6065
<meaning-in-context><classical-chinese>
What role does 事 play in 事不師古？
# What role does 事 play in 事不師古？

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-08-28)

司馬遷， 史記，[秦始皇本紀](http://ctext.org/shiji/qin-shi-huang-ben-ji)：

> 事不師古而能長久者，非所聞也。

I only understand the very broad meaning should be similar to:

> That someone flourished without learning from the ancients, thereof I never heard.

But, to understand more clearly, I have to know what role 事 plays here. Is it the work of the government, like Confucianism says:

> 事君能致其身

Then I have to translate "learn from the ancients in governance". Or is it just the object of 張久，some matter that is supposed to flourish?

**Tags:** meaning-in-context, classical-chinese
> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: search web: http://chengyu.911cha.com/MjN6YQ==.html 事不师古: 成语解释：形容做事不吸取前人经验 . 成语年代：古代成语  
> **username_1**: 淳于越 want to make 秦始皇 believe his country should be grouped by many kindoms, just like 周. So 事 means national institutions  
> **username_2**: 事 means every/any thing here. 事不師古而能長久者，非所聞也。I have never heard that anything can last long if they don't learn from the ancestors/histories.  
> **username_3**: 凡事（在这里仅指 making a policy）不吸取前人经验而能长久存在的(国家)，从未听说过。事君 = works for king,  事 of 事不師古 = works for country.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2017-08-28. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

> 事不師古而能長久者﹒非所聞也

事 : working, you may shortcut it to governing in this context

不 : not

師 : learn, or imitate

古 : past

而 : and

能 : can be

長久 : long time

非: not

所聞: heard, maybe recorded

so, the verse is roughly:

[if the] governing (事) is not (不) imitate (師) to the past (古), and (而)[such governing] can (能) [last] long time (長久), it's unheard (非所聞).

that 淳于越 suggested that nations not using feudalism, would not last long.

some underlying asumptions:

in ancient china, both [商 dynasty (bc 1571 - 1046)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang_dynasty)  and  [周 dynasty (bc 1046 - 770)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zhou_dynasty) used feudalism. compare to spring and autumn period (春秋), and warring states (戰國) period, these two dynasties lasted 400-500 years, which was a long time.

the related text in 秦始皇本紀, would started from "始皇置酒咸陽宮"

> 仆射周青臣進頌曰：「他時秦地不過千里，賴陛下神靈明聖，平定海內，放逐蠻夷，日月所照，莫不賓服。以諸侯為郡縣，人人自安樂，無戰爭之患，傳之萬世。自上古不及陛下威德。」

then one of the master 淳于越 refuted:

> 博士齊人淳于越進曰：「臣聞殷周之王千餘歲，封子弟功臣，自為枝輔。今陛下有海內，而子弟為匹夫，卒有田常、六卿之臣，無輔拂，何以相救哉？事不師古而能長久者，非所聞也。今青臣又面諛以重陛下之過，非忠臣。」

last, the prime minister 李斯 suggested:

丞相李斯曰：「五帝不相復，三代不相襲，各以治，非其相反，時變異也。今陛下創大業，建萬世之功，固非愚儒所知。且越言乃三代之事，何足法也？異時諸侯并爭，厚招游學。今天下已定，法令出一，百姓當家則力農工，士則學習法令辟禁。今諸生不師今而學古，以非當世，惑亂黔首。丞相臣斯昧死言：古者天下散亂，莫之能一，是以諸侯并作，語皆道古以害今，飾虛言以亂實，人善其所私學，以非上之所建立。今皇帝并有天下，別黑白而定一尊。私學而相與非法教，人聞令下，則各以其學議之，入則心非，出則巷議，夸主以為名，異取以為高，率群下以造謗。如此弗禁，則主勢降乎上，黨與成乎下。禁之便。臣請史官非秦記皆燒之。非博士官所職，天下敢有藏詩、書、百家語者，悉詣守、尉雜燒之。有敢偶語詩書者棄市。以古非今者族。吏見知不舉者與同罪。令下三十日不燒，黥為城旦。所不去者，醫藥卜筮種樹之書。若欲有學法令，以吏為師。」

you may treat the text as argument of "feudalism" vs "totalitarianism"

the text maybe further elaborated, if you need :)

have fun :)

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: 一个老师在古早的中国看法中就是一个模仿者？  

---

