大同小异

大同小異

dàtóng-xiǎoyì

idiom HSK 7-9 #32,384

Meanings

HSK 5

这几家餐厅的菜大同小异。

Zhè jǐ jiā cāntīng de cài dàtóng-xiǎoyì.

The dishes at these restaurants are pretty much the same.

HSK 7-9

各地的方言虽然大同小异，但还是有区别的。

Gèdì de fāngyán suīrán dàtóng-xiǎoyì, dàn háishì yǒu qūbié de.

Although regional dialects are largely similar, there are still differences.

memory

大同 (mostly the same) + 小异 (slightly different). The 大/小 contrast highlights that the similarities far outweigh the differences.

大 dà

同 tóng

小 xiǎo

异 yì