一成不变 (yì chéng-bú biàn) — (idiom) immutable; unchanging; set in stone

Definition

A formal chengyu meaning 'unchanging, set in stone' — often used critically of rigid mindsets, habits, or rules that refuse to adapt.

idiom

immutableunchangingset in stone

，一成不变。
Shè huì shì fā zhǎn de, méi yǒu shén me shì yì chéng-bú biàn de.
Society is developing; nothing is immutable.
一成不变，。
Tā de xìng gé yì chéng-bú biàn, hěn nán jiē shòu xīn shì wù.
His personality is set in stone; it's hard for him to accept new things.
一成不变。
Wǒ men bù néng yòng yì chéng-bú biàn de yǎn guāng kàn dài wèn tí.
We cannot view problems with an unchanging perspective.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

丁

丁dīng成chéng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

成 puts 戊, a weapon, beside 丁, which gives the sound. The weapon part relates to protection, as in the old sense of city walls.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The picture in 不 originally showed a flower’s calyx; the “no” sense came later from a related character, not from this picture.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 變; 变 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

攴攴pū

Sound part声符shēngfú

䜌

䜌䜌變biàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 變 uses 䜌 as a sound part and 攴 as a meaning part.

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