无独有偶wú dú yǒu ǒunot alone but in pairs (idiom, usually derog.); not a unique occurrence

1. 1.

   not alone but in pairs (idiom, usually derog.); not a unique occurrenceidiom

2. 2.

   it's not the only caseidiom

Figurative meaning

Not a unique occurrence; it's not the only case.

• 无not to have
• 独alone
• 有to have; there is
• 偶pair

No attested origin story

无独有偶 often opens a sentence that adds a second, similar case after a first one has been described.

1. HSK 3

   上周他把手机忘在出租车上。无独有偶，昨天他又把钱包忘了。

   Shàng zhōu tā bǎ shǒujī wàng zài chūzūchē shang. Wú dú yǒu ǒu, zuótiān tā yòu bǎ qiánbāo wàng le.

   Last week he left his phone in a taxi. It's not the only case: yesterday he forgot his wallet too.

2. 这家店卖过期牛奶，无独有偶，旁边那家也被发现了同样的问题。

   Zhè jiā diàn mài guòqī niúnǎi, wú dú yǒu ǒu, pángbiān nà jiā yě bèi fāxiàn le tóngyàng de wèntí.

   This shop sold expired milk, and it's not the only case: the shop next door was found to have the same problem.

1. 
   Speaker A:

   我们楼又停电了。

   Wǒmen lóu yòu tíngdiàn le.

   Our building lost power again.

2. 
   Speaker B:

   无独有偶，我们小区昨天也停了。

   Wú dú yǒu ǒu, wǒmen xiǎoqū zuótiān yě tíng le.

   It's not the only case. Our neighborhood lost power yesterday too.

3. 
   Speaker A:

   看来是附近的线路有问题。

   Kànlái shì fùjìn de xiànlù yǒu wèntí.

   Looks like there's a problem with the lines nearby.

4. 
   Speaker B:

   可能吧。

   Kěnéng ba.

   Maybe.

1. 1.What does 无独有偶 mean?

   ANot a unique occurrenceBCompletely uniqueCShocking to see
2. 2.Which sentence uses 无独有偶 correctly?

   A他上周迟到了。无独有偶，他今天又迟到了。B我无独有偶地吃了一个苹果。C她买了一件无独有偶的衣服。
3. 3.Which word fits best? 他忘了带伞。____，他妹妹也忘了。 (He forgot his umbrella. It's not the only case: his sister forgot hers too.)

   A无独有偶B与众不同C触目惊心

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Related idioms

• 独一无二dú yī wú èr(idiom) unique; unmatched; unrivalledHSK 7–9
• 心有余悸xīn yǒu yú jìto have lingering fearsNot on the HSK 3.0 syllabus
• 行之有效xíng zhī yǒu xiàoto be effective (idiom)Not on the HSK 3.0 syllabus
• 前所未有qián suǒ wèi yǒu(idiom) unprecedentedHSK 7–9
• 得天独厚dé tiān dú hòublessed by heaven (idiom)HSK 7–9
• 津津有味jīn jīn yǒu wèiwith keen interestHSK 7–9

Browse every entry in the Chinese idioms dictionary.