📖 Meaning
The idiom means that all members of a household are treated exactly the same, with no favoritism or distinction between blood relatives and outsiders. It describes a family so close and harmonious that no one is regarded as an outsider or treated differently.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom originates from the first act of the Yuan dynasty play "Rain on the Xiaoxiang" (《潇湘雨》) by playwright Yang Xianzhi. In the story, a character adopts a young girl as his foster daughter. When she arrives at his home, the family welcomes her warmly and treats her with genuine affection, as if she had always been one of them. The original line reads: "This girl and I are fated — I have taken her as my adopted daughter. Since she came to our home, she has been quite affectionate, and our family treats her as one of our own with no distinction."
💡 Example Usage
我们虽是异姓兄妹，但多年来相处融洽，一家无二。
Though we are not related by blood, we have gotten along so well over the years that we are like one family with no distinction.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一家无二
- Pinyin: yī jiā wú èr
- Literal Translation: one, family, no, two
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4