# 一成不变

yī chéng bù biàn

Remain fixed and unchanged

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** Once formed, never change

**Traditional Chinese:** 一成不變

**Register:** Evaluative · general

[Change & possibility](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/change)

## When to use it

Describe rigidity or persistent sameness.

Can be reassuring stability or a problem, depending on context.

## Understanding the expression

Something reaches a form and then remains there as though no later condition could affect it. The expression often criticizes routines, rules, or thinking that refuse adaptation. It can also simply describe constancy. The value depends on what should change: a basic ethical commitment may remain stable, while a schedule may need revision. A clear sentence names the changing circumstances so readers can judge whether persistence is dependable or inflexible.

## Examples

教学方法不能一成不变。

### Traditional Chinese

教學方法不能一成不變。

jiào xué fāng fǎ bù néng yī chéng bù biàn 。

Teaching methods cannot remain fixed forever.

菜单一成不变，客人渐渐少了。

### Traditional Chinese

菜單一成不變，客人漸漸少了。

cài dān yī chéng bù biàn ， kè rén jiàn jiàn shǎo le 。

The unchanging menu gradually lost customers.

价格并非一成不变，会随成本调整。

### Traditional Chinese

價格並非一成不變，會隨成本調整。

jià gé bìng fēi yī chéng bù biàn ， huì suí chéng běn tiáo zhěng 。

Prices change with costs rather than remain fixed.

她的原则稳定，做法却不一成不变。

### Traditional Chinese

她的原則穩定，做法卻不一成不變。

tā de yuán zé wěn dìng ， zuò fǎ què bù yī chéng bù biàn 。

Her principles are stable, but her methods adapt.

## 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%B8%80%E6%88%90%E4%B8%8D%E8%AE%8A)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=625&webMd=1&la=0)

## Keep exploring

- [一帆风顺 yī fān fēng shùn Proceed smoothly without obstacles ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-fan-feng-shun)

- [移风易俗 yí fēng yì sú Reform established customs and habits ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-feng-yi-su)

- [衣锦还乡 yī jǐn huán xiāng Return home after achieving success ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-jin-huan-xiang)

- [一蹶不振 yī jué bù zhèn Fail to recover after a setback ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-jue-bu-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 一尘不染 ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-chen-bu-ran) [Next idiom 一筹莫展 ](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/yi-chou-mo-zhan)