新瓶旧酒

新瓶舊酒

xīnpíngjiùjiǔ

idiom

Meanings

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

Characters

Examples

这次改革不过是新瓶旧酒，没有实质变化。

Zhè cì gǎigé bùguò shì xīnpíngjiùjiǔ, méiyǒu shízhì biànhuà.

This reform is just old wine in a new bottle — nothing has actually changed.

他的新书其实是新瓶旧酒，观点都是炒冷饭。

Tā de xīnshū qíshí shì xīnpíngjiùjiǔ, guāndiǎn dōu shì chǎo lěngfàn.

His new book is really just old wine in a new bottle — all the ideas are warmed-over leftovers.

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 (jiùpíng zhuāng xīnjiǔ, '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

新 xīn

瓶 píng

旧 jiù

酒 jiǔ