# 人云亦云

rén yún yì yún

Repeat others' views without independent thought

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Say what others say

**Register:** Critical · general

[Perspective](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/perspective)

## When to use it

Criticize unexamined agreement or repetition.

Agreeing after consideration is different.

## Understanding the expression

The expression places one voice directly behind the others, repeating whatever they say. It criticizes the absence of independent examination rather than agreement itself. A person may spread a fashionable opinion without reading the evidence or checking its source. The useful alternative is not automatic contrarianism. It is to understand the claim, assess the reasons, and then decide whether agreement is justified by something more than popularity.

## Examples

不要人云亦云地转发未经核实的消息。

### Traditional Chinese

不要人云亦云地轉發未經核實的消息。

bú yào rén yún yì yún dì zhuǎn fā wèi jīng hé shí de xiāo xī 。

Do not repost unverified claims just because others do.

讨论时他只会人云亦云。

### Traditional Chinese

討論時他只會人云亦云。

tǎo lùn shí tā zhī huì rén yún yì yún 。

He merely repeats others' views in discussions.

她查了原始资料，没有人云亦云。

### Traditional Chinese

她查了原始資料，沒有人云亦云。

tā chá le yuán shǐ zī liào ， méi yǒu rén yún yì yún 。

She checked original materials instead of echoing others.

投资不能人云亦云，要了解风险。

### Traditional Chinese

投資不能人云亦云，要了解風險。

tóu zī bù néng rén yún yì yún ， yào liǎo jiě fēng xiǎn 。

Investing requires understanding risk, not following opinions blindly.

## Sources & reference checks

Original explanations and examples from Chinese Idioms Almanac. Source-checked October 6, 2026.

- [CC-CEDICT · forms & pronunciation](https://www.mdbg.net/chinese/dictionary?page=worddict&wdqb=%E4%BA%BA%E4%BA%91%E4%BA%A6%E4%BA%91)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=427&webMd=1&la=0)

## Keep exploring

- [融会贯通 róng huì guàn tōng Connect knowledge into a coherent understanding ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/rong-hui-guan-tong)

- [如出一辙 rú chū yī zhé Follow almost exactly the same pattern ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/ru-chu-yi-zhe)

- [入木三分 rù mù sān fēn Penetrating and perceptive ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/ru-mu-san-fen)

- [如数家珍 rú shǔ jiā zhēn Discuss something with intimate familiarity ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/ru-shu-jia-zhen)

## Keep this one close.

Save useful idioms, read offline, and revisit them with flashcards in Almanac.

[View on the App Store ](https://apps.apple.com/app/id6819590452)

[Previous idiom 人心不古 ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/ren-xin-bu-gu) [Next idiom 仁至义尽 ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/ren-zhi-yi-jin)