不约而同
- Literal
- without arranging it, yet alike
- Figurative
- To say or do the same thing at the same time without having agreed on it beforehand.
Where does 不约而同 come from?
The phrase comes from Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian": in the biography of Zhufu Yan, explaining the fall of Qin, the text reads "不谋而俱起，不约而同会" ("they rose without plotting together, they gathered without having arranged it"). From there it set into a fixed four-character formula. Its structure pairs 不约 ("without agreement") against 而同 ("yet alike"), joined by the particle 而 that marks the contrast. Today it is a very common formula for pointing out spontaneous coincidences.
Source (出处): 《史记·平津侯主父列传》
How is 不约而同 used? Two examples
- 听到这个消息，大家不约而同地鼓起掌来。
On hearing the news, everyone broke into applause at once without having planned it.
- 我们两个不约而同地选了同一家餐厅。
The two of us picked the very same restaurant without ever discussing it.
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