📖 Meaning
Originally it referred to selling goods at a fixed price without any discount. By extension, it describes someone whose manner of doing things is rigid, uniform, and inflexible, allowing no deviation or exception.
📜 Origin Story
The phrase traces back to the Han Dynasty work 'Book of Han: Biography of Cao Shen' (《汉书·曹参传》), which records how Xiao He (萧何), the first chancellor of the Han Dynasty under Emperor Gaozu, established laws that were clear, uniform, and consistent, described as 'as if drawn with one line' (讲若画一). When Cao Shen (曹参) succeeded him as chancellor, he preserved Xiao He's laws without alteration, giving rise to the famous saying about following established rules. Over centuries the expression evolved to denote acting with unwavering uniformity and no compromise.
💡 Example Usage
这家老店规矩严格，售价划一不二，从不打折。
The old shop keeps strict rules and sells at fixed prices without exception, never offering discounts.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 划一不二
- Pinyin: huà yī bù èr
- Literal Translation: drawn one, not two
- Category: Method
- Characters: 4