老调重弹

老調重彈

lǎodiào-chóngtán

idiom #36,300

Meanings

1 to play the same old tune again
2 to harp on an old theme; to rehash something unoriginal

Characters

to play (a stringed instrument)

Examples

HSK 5

这个话题已经老调重弹了，别再争了。

Zhège huàtí yǐjīng lǎodiào-chóngtán le, bié zài zhēng le.

This topic has been rehashed to death - stop arguing about it.

HSK 6

我不想老调重弹，但是纪律问题必须再强调一次。

Wǒ bù xiǎng lǎodiào-chóngtán, dànshì jìlǜ wèntí bìxū zài qiángdiào yī cì.

I don't want to replay an old tune, but the discipline issue has to be stressed once more.

HSK 7-9

他的演讲又是老调重弹，毫无新意。

Tā de yǎnjiǎng yòushì lǎodiào-chóngtán, háowú xīnyì.

His speech was the same old tune again, with nothing new.

Tips

mistakes

Read 重 chóng (again), not zhòng (heavy). 重弹 = to play again - the idiom is about repetition, not weight.

usage

Almost always disapproving - a speaker, argument, or policy that keeps recycling the same tired points. For neutral 'classic' replays, prefer 经典 or 再次.

Stroke Order

老 lǎo

调 tiáo

重 zhòng

弹 dàn