Chinese word

一成不变

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī chéng bù biàn

Meaning

  • idiomunchanging

Example

他的习惯一成不变，几乎每天都一样。tā de xí guàn yì chéng bú biàn jī hū měi tiān dōu yí yàng

His habits never change; almost every day is the same.

Illustration for 一成不变 (unchanging)

More examples

研究方法如果总是一成不变，难以取得新的突破。yán jiū fāng fǎ rú guǒ zǒng shì yì chéng bú biàn nán yǐ qǔ dé xīn de tū pò

If research methods never change, it is difficult to make new breakthroughs.

Core concept

An established pattern keeps running without alteration, bringing regularity while possibly becoming rigid.

Common phrases

  • 一成不变的模式yì chéng bú biàn de mó shì

    an unchanging pattern

  • 维持一成不变wéi chí yì chéng bú biàn

    keep unchanged

Similar words

千篇一律qiān piān yí lǜ: Everything has the same content or style, so there is no variety or special character.
原封不动yuán fēng bú dòng: Something is kept in its original state, with nothing moved, removed, or altered.
一如既往yì rú jì wǎng: An earlier attitude or condition carries on without change.
墨守成规mò shǒu chéng guī: Sticking stubbornly to old rules or ways of doing things instead of changing them.

Definition in Chinese

形容某事物或做法一经确定就长期不变，常带有固守不变的含义。xíng róng mǒu shì wù huò zuò fǎ yì jīng què dìng jiù cháng qī bú biàn cháng dài yǒu gù shǒu bú biàn de hán yì

Word origin

一成不变 (yīchéngbùbiàn, "unchanging") is formed from 一 (yī, "once") + 成 (chéng, "established") + 不 (bù, "not") + 变 (biàn, "change"), picturing an established state that stays fixed.

Usage tips

  • For routines, policies, or methods, this idiom often sounds critical because it suggests that an established pattern is being kept despite a need for change.

Other meanings

  • consistentidiom

Opposites

Word lists with this word