Chinese idiom · 成语
千篇一律
Meaning
A thousand essays, one tune; monotonous repetition.
Character by character
Origin and story
Literary criticismThe earlier image concerns poems that all seem to follow the same pattern. Zhong Rong's Liang-dynasty Grades of Poetry discusses the Jin writer Zhang Hua, recognizing polished language while noting limits in emotional range and spirit. It quotes Xie Lingyun's judgment that even a thousand of Zhang's poems would still amount to one style.
The passage uses a formulation underlying qian pian yi ti, rather than the exact modern idiom. The later expression changes the final image to one standard or pattern. Its use spread beyond literary criticism to repetitive designs, speeches, routines, and other things that lack meaningful variation.
Sources and further reading
In everyday life
这些旅游纪念品千篇一律，换个城市名字就能接着卖。
These souvenirs are all alike; you could just change the city's name and keep selling them.
Usually critical of monotonous sameness, not praise for consistency.