# 一劳永逸

yī láo yǒng yì

Solve something once and for all

## Meaning & wording

**Literally:** One effort brings lasting ease

**Traditional Chinese:** 一勞永逸

**Register:** Standard · expressive

[Choices & judgment](https://chinese-idioms.yudis.dev/idioms/topics/decisions)

## When to use it

Describe a lasting solution that avoids repeated work.

Often an unrealistic promise for ongoing systems.

## Understanding the expression

One effort is imagined to remove the need for future labor. The phrase suits a durable repair or a change that permanently addresses a particular recurring problem. It also appears when challenging an unrealistic expectation of effortless permanence. Many systems need maintenance even after a good solution is installed. The expression is strongest when the scope is clear: resolving one source of trouble does not necessarily mean all future work disappears.

## Examples

换掉坏阀门才能一劳永逸。

### Traditional Chinese

換掉壞閥門才能一勞永逸。

huàn diào huài fá mén cái néng yī láo yǒng yì 。

Replacing the faulty valve is the lasting solution.

学习没有一劳永逸的办法。

### Traditional Chinese

學習沒有一勞永逸的辦法。

xué xí méi yǒu yī láo yǒng yì de bàn fǎ 。

There is no once-and-for-all method for learning.

他想一劳永逸地解决漏水问题。

### Traditional Chinese

他想一勞永逸地解決漏水問題。

tā xiǎng yī láo yǒng yì dì jiě jué lòu shuǐ wèn tí 。

He wanted to solve the leak once and for all.

一次培训不能一劳永逸。

### Traditional Chinese

一次培訓不能一勞永逸。

yí cì péi xùn bù néng yī láo yǒng yì 。

One training session cannot meet every future need permanently.

## 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%E5%8B%9E%E6%B0%B8%E9%80%B8)

- [Ministry of Education · 成語典](https://dict.idioms.moe.edu.tw/idiomView.jsp?ID=784&webMd=1&la=0)

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