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如一 (rú yī) — to be consistent, to be the same, to stay unchanged (often in set phrases like 始终如一, 表里如一)

Definition

Used almost only in set phrases (始终如一, 表里如一) to mean 'consistent from start to finish'. 一贯 describes long-term consistency as an attribute; 如一 emphasizes staying unchanged throughout.

verb
to be consistentto be the sameto stay unchanged (often in set phrases like 始终如一, 表里如一)

Examples

  • 。
    Tā duì péng you de tài dù shǐ zhōng rú yī.
    His attitude toward friends has always been consistent.
  • 如一。
    Zhè jiā gōng sī de chǎn pǐn zhì liàng shí nián rú yī.
    The product quality of this company has remained the same for ten years.
  • 如一。
    Wǒ men yāo qiú yuán gōng de yán xíng rú yī.
    We require employees' words and deeds to be consistent.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

如rúmatch
一yīone

"如" conveys matching or being like, and "一" conveys oneness, giving consistency.

Characters in this word

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
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ如rú
Same sound today

如 is built from 口 (mouth) for its meaning and 女 (woman) for its sound.

Open 如 →

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.

Open 一 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Abstract ConceptsIdioms & Set Phrases

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