老生常谈

老生常談

lǎoshēngchángtán

idiom #24,149

Meanings

1 cliché
2 the same old story
3 a hackneyed topic

Characters

old; experienced; veteran

life; to be born; student; role type (in opera)

often; always; ordinary; constant

to talk; to discuss; conversation

Examples

他说的那些话都是老生常谈，毫无新意。

Tā shuō de nàxiē huà dōu shì lǎoshēngchángtán, háo wú xīnyì.

Everything he said was a tired cliché with nothing new.

我知道这听起来像老生常谈，但努力确实很重要。

Wǒ zhīdào zhè tīng qǐlái xiàng lǎoshēngchángtán, dàn nǔlì quèshí hěn zhòngyào.

I know this sounds like a cliché, but hard work really does matter.

Tips

memory

老生 (experienced elder / veteran actor) + 常 (always) + 谈 (to talk) — 'what the old veteran always talks about.' Imagine a seasoned sage repeating the same well-worn advice over and over.

Stroke Order

老 lǎo

生 shēng

常 cháng

谈 tán