róng融melthuì会meetguàn贯piercetōng通through
Master a subject thoroughly — the parts melt into a connected whole.
Literal meaning
melt (融) — meet (会) — pierce (贯) — through (通)
Origin
A Song-dynasty phrase from Zhu Xi's commentaries on the Confucian classics, describing the moment when scattered fragments of knowledge fuse into a single working understanding. The metaphor is of separate streams melting together and flowing through the mind without obstruction.
Examples
Tā他duì对lì历shǐ史róng融huì会guàn贯tōng通，néng能jiǎng讲chū出hěn很duō多rén人bù不zhī知dào道de的xì细jié节。
He has a deep grasp of history — he can talk about details others don't know.
Xué学wài外yǔ语xū需yào要róng融huì会guàn贯tōng通，bù不néng能sǐ死jì记yìng硬bèi背。
Learning a language requires real synthesis, not rote memorisation.
Usage & nuances
Strong endorsement of mastery — reserve for someone whose understanding genuinely connects across a field.
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