📖 Meaning
Used to describe two or more things that are exactly identical in appearance, shape, or characteristics, with no discernible difference. It emphasizes perfect sameness, as if cast from the same mold.
📜 Origin Story
This idiom traces back to Chapter 54 of Wu Jingzi's Qing Dynasty novel 'The Scholars' (《儒林外史》). In the scene, a character looks up and sees a sallow-faced, bald-headed person who looks exactly like the nun who had grabbed him in a dream the day before, which instantly upsets him. The phrase literally means 'one mold, one appearance,' conveying the idea of being shaped from the very same mold. Over time it has become a common expression for any two things that are indistinguishable from each other.
💡 Example Usage
这两件衣服看起来一模一样，其实质量差很多。
These two pieces of clothing look exactly the same, but their quality is actually very different.
🏷️ Category
➕ Similar Idioms
➖ Opposite Idioms
🔤 Quick Facts
- Chinese: 一模一样
- Pinyin: yī mó yī yàng
- Literal Translation: one, mold, one, appearance
- Category: Quality
- Characters: 4