Practical guide
一以贯之 (yī yǐ guàn zhī): One Principle, Different Methods and Examples
一以贯之 describes one principle connecting different matters. Read the short Analects citation, practise original Chinese examples, and use a comparison table to distinguish a consistent criterion from an identical procedure or 知行合一.
One principle connects different matters
The simplified spelling is 一以贯之; traditional is 一以貫之. The consulted reading is yī yǐ guàn zhī. The recorded meaning concerns one principle running through different kinds of matters. [1]
“Apply one connecting principle throughout” is an explanatory paraphrase. Identify the principle and the matters it connects. Merely repeating the same action several times does not tell the reader what principle, if any, runs through it.
Read the short Analects line as the cited wording
The entry cites Analects, Li Ren: 吾道一以貫之. [1] This short line supplies the expression and a statement of a connecting way or principle.
The consulted record also gives later literary citations. The vocabulary task here is to understand principle-through-different-matters. This short line alone is not a complete account of the surrounding dialogue or all interpretations of Confucian thought.
Two original examples name the connecting criterion
These situations are invented for language learning.
她把“让读者看清下一步”这个原则一以贯之地用在海报、手册和通知里。
“She applies the principle ‘make the reader’s next step clear’ across the poster, booklet and notice.” The principle and the three kinds of material are explicit.
版式虽然不同，先说明任务再给例子的做法却一以贯之。
“Although the layouts differ, the approach of stating the task before giving examples remains consistent throughout.” The common approach is stated; the sentence does not require identical colours, dimensions or every procedural detail.
Different methods can serve a stated common principle
| Material | Different method in the fictional plan | Common criterion |
|---|---|---|
| Poster | A short next-step sentence. | Make the reader’s next step clear. |
| Booklet | A sequence with a worked example. | Make the reader’s next step clear. |
| Notice | A deadline followed by the action requested. | Make the reader’s next step clear. |
| The same format copied without a stated aim | Only format repetition is described. | A connecting principle has not yet been supplied. |
This is an original teaching comparison, not a usability experiment. The table shows how a sentence can name one criterion across different cases. It does not claim that these layouts have been tested or are always effective.
A connecting principle differs from joining knowledge and action
知行合一 foregrounds knowledge joined with action. 一以贯之 foregrounds one principle connecting matters. A fictional person might both act on an understood idea and apply a criterion consistently across several cases, but the two descriptions answer different questions.
Ask “what principle connects these cases?” for 一以贯之. Ask how the stated understanding relates to conduct for 知行合一. Repeated wording, practical action and a connecting principle should not be treated as automatically equivalent.
Does changing the format defeat the common principle?
Original exercise: A fictional plan uses a short sentence on a poster and a worked sequence in a booklet. Both explicitly follow “make the reader’s next step clear.” Must the different formats contradict 一以贯之?
Check the principle and the methods
No. The supplied common criterion runs through both matters. Different procedures can serve that criterion. A claim that every colour, dimension and step must be identical would add a condition not supplied by the consulted meaning or the exercise.
Sources and further reading
- Education Ministry Chengyu Dictionary revised-dictionary appendix: 一以贯之Recorded spelling, pronunciation and lexical sense; any cited classical wording is identified in the article. Modern teaching sentences, comparisons and exercises are original.