Chinese word

大同小异

Pronunciation

Pinyindà tóng xiǎo yì

Meaning

  • idiommuch the same

Example

兄弟俩的性格大同小异，很难分清。xiōng dì liǎ de xìng gé dà tóng xiǎo yì hěn nán fēn qīng

The two brothers' personalities are much the same, so it is hard to tell them apart.

Illustration for 大同小异 (much the same)

More examples

讨论后，大家的看法大同小异，很快达成了一致。tǎo lùn hòu dà jiā de kàn fǎ dà tóng xiǎo yì hěn kuài dá chéng le yí zhì

After the discussion, everyone's views were much the same, and they quickly reached an agreement.

Core concept

A broad common ground remains visible despite small points of difference.

Common phrases

  • 大同小异的观点dà tóng xiǎo yì de guān diǎn

    views that are much the same

  • 各方意见大同小异gè fāng yì jiàn dà tóng xiǎo yì

    opinions from all sides that are much the same

Similar words

差不多chà bu duō: Being about the same in size, amount, or state, without exact equality.
大致相同dà zhì xiāng tóng: Being the same in broad features while allowing slight differences in finer points.

Definition in Chinese

总体上没有很大差别，但在某些细节或方面有微小不同。zóng tǐ shàng méi yǒu hěn dà chā bié dàn zài mǒu xiē xì jié huò fāng miàn yǒu wēi xiǎo bù tóng

Word origin

大同小异 (dàtóngxiǎoyì, "broadly the same, slightly different") is a balanced four-character expression whose first half sets the general view and whose second half limits it.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, this idiom often summarizes a comparison after the main similarities have been discussed, while a formal report usually names the differing details.

Opposites

Word lists with this word