新瓶旧酒

新瓶舊酒
xīnpíng-jiùjiǔ
idiom

Meanings

  1. 1 old wine in a new bottle
  2. 2 the same content dressed up in new packaging

Examples

HSK 6
Tā de xīnshū qíshí shì xīnpíng-jiùjiǔ, guāndiǎn dōu shì chǎolěngfàn.
His new book is really just old wine in a new bottle - all the ideas are warmed-over leftovers.
HSK 7-9
Zhècì gǎigé bùguò shì xīnpíng-jiùjiǔ, méiyǒu shízhì biànhuà.
This reform is just old wine in a new bottle - nothing has actually changed.

Tips

usage
Almost always pejorative: signals that something marketed as fresh or innovative is just rebranded old material. The reverse phrasing 旧瓶装新酒 ('new wine in an old bottle') has the opposite, neutral-to-positive meaning - old form, new substance.
memory
The image is straightforward: 新瓶 (new bottle) + 旧酒 (old wine). The wine matters more than the bottle, so the swap is hollow.

Stroke Order

xīn
píng
jiù
jiǔ