walking encyclopedia; walking dictionary
Refers to a person who has extensive knowledge and can answer questions on many topics, like a living reference book.
He's a real walking encyclopedia. He can answer any history question.
Standard kanji spelling.
Variant with 引き instead of 引.
Abbreviated spelling; less common.
Compound of 生き (living) + 字引 (dictionary). The literal meaning is 'living dictionary', used figuratively for a person of great knowledge.