Chinese word

按部就班

Pronunciation

Pinyinàn bù jiù bān

Meaning

  • idiomfollow procedures

Example

他在工作中总是按部就班，很可靠。tā zài gōng zuò zhōng zǒng shì àn bù jiù bān hěn kě kào

He always follows procedures at work and is very reliable.

Illustration for 按部就班 (follow procedures)

More examples

考试复习时，最好按部就班地复习。kǎo shì fù xí shí zuì hǎo àn bù jiù bān dì fù xí

When reviewing for an exam, it is best to review step by step.

Core concept

Progress that respects the order of a plan, with no stage pushed aside or treated as optional.

Common phrases

  • 按部就班地做事àn bù jiù bān dì zuò shì

    do things in order

  • 按部就班地学习àn bù jiù bān dì xué xí

    study step by step

  • 按部就班地准备àn bù jiù bān dì zhǔn bèi

    prepare in order

Similar words

循序渐进xún xù jiàn jìn: Moves forward little by little through a set order and reaches results in stages.
有条不紊yǒu tiáo bù wěn: Handles things in a well-organized order so that nothing becomes confused.
照章办事zhào zhāng bàn shì: Deals with work by following the relevant rules and procedures.

Definition in Chinese

按照程序和步骤依次进行，不跳过环节，通常表示做事有条理。àn zhào chéng xù hé bù zhòu yī cì jìn xíng bú tiào guò huán jié tōng cháng biǎo shì zuò shì yǒu tiáo lǐ

Word origin

The idiom combines 按 (àn, "according to") with 部 (bù, "section"), 就 (jiù, "take up"), and 班 (bān, "order") to depict following each part in sequence.

Usage tips

  • English speakers may hear "by the book" as strict rule-following, while this Chinese idiom more broadly describes orderly progress through a process, including routine work.

Other meanings

  • in orderidiom
  • step by stepidiom

Opposites

Word lists with this word