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如出一辙 (rú chū yī zhé) — (chengyu) to be cut from the same cloth; to follow the same pattern; to be exactly alike

Definition

A written chengyu meaning two things look, act, or behave exactly alike — 'cut from the same cloth.' More formal and literary than 一样, and emphasizes uncanny resemblance.

idiom
(chengyu) to be cut from the same clothto follow the same patternto be exactly alike

Examples

  • 如出一辙。
    Zhè liǎng piān wén zhāng de guān diǎn rú chū yī zhé.
    The viewpoints of these two articles are exactly the same.
  • 如出一辙，。
    Tā men de jiào yù lǐ niàn rú chū yī zhé, dōu qiáng diào shí jiàn.
    Their educational philosophies are cut from the same cloth — both emphasize practice.
  • 如出一辙，。
    Lì shǐ wǎng wǎng rú chū yī zhé, bù tóng shí qī de cuò wù zǒng huì chóng fù.
    History often repeats itself — mistakes from different eras always recur.

Origin

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 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

出 combines 止 (foot) and 凵 (cave) to show a foot stepping out of a cave.

Open 出 →

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 →

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 轍; 辙 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
車車jūwagon
Sound part声符shēngfú
徹
徹chè轍zhé
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 轍 combines 車 (wagon) with a sound component 徹, and the meaning is wagon tracks; the simplified 辙 is a shorthand.

Open 辙 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set Phrases

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