灌输

• Pinyin: guàn shū
• Hanzi breakdown: 灌 = 氵+ 雚 (pour); 输 = 车 + 俞 (transport by vehicle — convey)

Meaning

To instil; to indoctrinate; to pour knowledge or ideas into someone. Often implies a one-directional, top-down transmission of information without encouraging critical thinking.

Carries a slightly negative connotation in modern educational discourse, suggesting passive absorption rather than active learning. Common in critiques of rote education (填鸭式灌输) and political contexts. However, it can be used neutrally to mean 'impart' in some formal contexts.

Examples

1. 父母从小向孩子灌输诚实守信的价值观，影响深远。 From an early age, parents instill the values of honesty and trustworthiness in their children, with a lasting impact.
2. 单纯依靠灌输方式的教育，难以激发学生的创造性思维。 Education that relies only on indoctrination is hard to use to spark students' creative thinking.
3. 社会上充斥着大量试图向年轻人灌输消费主义观念的广告。 Society is flooded with ads trying to instill consumerist values in young people.

Usage Guide

Context: education, politics, media

Tone: critical

Do Say

• 好的教育不是向学生灌输现成的答案，而是培养他们独立思考的能力。(Good education is not about pouring ready-made answers into students, but about developing their capacity for independent thought.)
• 家长应当以身作则，而非只靠言语灌输道德观念。(Parents should lead by example rather than relying solely on verbal instillation of moral values.)

Don't Say

• 老师灌输了这道数学题 — use 讲解 or 教会 for explaining or teaching a maths problem; 灌输 implies systematic imparting of values or ideology, not explaining a single exercise

Origin & History

灌 (to pour into) + 输 (to transport, to convey). Together: to convey/transport by pouring in — the image of forcibly filling a vessel with liquid ideas.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern China

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal