of course Confucius had already put it into words

[Wippen (inactive)]

不愤不启，不悱不发

 

It means the student should try first and find the answer,  there should be a real longing to know the answer. This should produce the best results in terms of learning.

There is something to be said for that. If you stimulate the brain to try and remember a certain word, then the answer should not be given to you at this point. If you then cannot find the answer and really want to know, this whole process will probably improve the memory for a particular word. The brain needs reminding it needs to remember something.

 

So often I know a particular chengyu for a context  but it is in my passive memory so it won’t  come out exactly when needed. 

 

Makes sense?