不约而同bù yuē ér tóng(idiom) (of two or more people) to take the same action without prior consultation; (usu. used adverbially) all (or both) of them, independently; as if by prior agreement

1. 1.

   (idiom) (of two or more people) to take the same action without prior consultation; (usu. used adverbially) all (or both) of them, independently; as if by prior agreementidiom

Figurative meaning

Of two or more people, taking the same action without prior consultation; all of them, independently, as if by prior agreement.

• 不not
• 约to make an appointment
• 而and
• 同together

The story

Without planning together, they all rose up; without making any agreement, they gathered in the same place.

不约而同 often comes before 地 and a verb to show that several people acted the same way at once.

1. HSK 3

   听到这个好消息，大家不约而同地笑了。

   Tīngdào zhège hǎo xiāoxi, dàjiā bù yuē ér tóng de xiào le.

   Hearing the good news, everyone laughed at the same time.

2. HSK 4

   我们俩不约而同地选了同一本书。

   Wǒmen liǎ bù yuē ér tóng de xuǎn le tóng yì běn shū.

   The two of us picked the same book without discussing it.

3. HSK 3

   老师问问题的时候，学生们不约而同地举起了手。

   Lǎoshī wèn wèntí de shíhou, xuéshengmen bù yuē ér tóng de jǔqǐ le shǒu.

   When the teacher asked a question, the students all raised their hands at once.

1. 
   Speaker A:

   你怎么也穿红衣服？

   Nǐ zěnme yě chuān hóng yīfu?

   Why are you wearing red too?

2. 
   Speaker B:

   哈哈，我们不约而同了！

   Hāha, wǒmen bù yuē ér tóng le!

   Ha, we did the same thing without planning it!

3. 
   Speaker A:

   我们拍张照片吧。

   Wǒmen pāi zhāng zhàopiàn ba.

   Let's take a photo.

4. 
   Speaker B:

   好啊，一起站过来。

   Hǎo a, yìqǐ zhàn guòlái.

   Sure, come stand together.

1. 1.What does 不约而同 mean?

   AActing the same way without prior agreementBPreparing urgently for an eventCArising at an opportune time
2. 2.Which sentence uses 不约而同 correctly?

   A大家不约而同地站了起来。B我一个人不约而同地吃饭。C这本书很不约而同。
3. 3.Which word fits best? 他们____地说出了同一个答案。 (They gave the same answer without planning it.)

   A不约而同B紧锣密鼓C应运而生

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Related idioms

• 不言而喻bù yán ér yù(idiom) it goes without saying; it is self-evidentHSK 7–9
• 与众不同yǔ zhòng bù tóng(idiom) to stand out from the crowd; distinctive; different from the restHSK 7–9
• 不可思议bù kě sī yìinconceivable; unimaginable; unfathomableHSK 7–9
• 不知不觉bù zhī bù jué(idiom) unconsciously; unwittinglyHSK 7–9
• 不知所措bù zhī suǒ cuònot knowing what to doHSK 7–9
• 半途而废bàn tú ér fèito give up halfwayHSK 7–9

Browse every entry in the Chinese idioms dictionary.