一概而论

一概而論
yīgàiérlùn
idiom HSK 7 #50,777

Meanings

  1. 1 to lump together; to generalize
  2. 2 to treat as all the same

Characters

Literally 'to discuss with one sweeping generalization' — treating different things as identical.

Examples

Bù néng yīgàiérlùn, měi gè qíngkuàng bùtóng.
You can't generalize; every situation is different.
Zhè liǎng jiàn shì bù néng yīgàiérlùn.
These two matters can't be lumped together.

Tips

usage
Almost always used in the negative: 不能一概而论 (can't generalize). Rarely used in the affirmative.

Stroke Order

gài
ér
lùn