make use of the past to disparage the present; use ancient things to satirize the present; use anecdotes of the past to allude to the present ❍ 每个读者都明白，那是一篇～的杂文。Every reader is aware that it is an essay using ancient things to satirize the present.
借古讽今jie gu feng jin
use the past to disparage the present
借古讽今jiè ɡǔ fěnɡ jīn
借：假借。假借古代的事和人来讥讽影射现实。use the past to disparage the present, deride the contemporary by quoting from history, use the past to condemn the present