老生常谈

Pronunciation: lǎo shēng cháng tán Literal meaning: Old scholar's common talk

Origin & Usage

The idiom 老生常谈 (lǎo shēng cháng tán) originates from the Three Kingdoms period, specifically from the story of Guan Lu, a well-known diviner. Guan Lu was summoned by two influential officials, He Yan and Deng Yang, to predict their futures. When Guan Lu advised them to act with virtue and humility, Deng Yang dismissed his words as 'old scholar's common talk' (老生常谈), implying they were unoriginal and mundane. Despite the dismissal, Guan Lu's advice proved prophetic when both officials met a tragic end due to their arrogance. The idiom breaks down into 老 (lǎo, old), 生 (shēng, scholar), 常 (cháng, common), and 谈 (tán, talk). In modern usage, it refers to statements or advice that seem obvious or unoriginal but often carry significant truth and wisdom.

Examples

English: "His advice was just the same old story that everyone has heard before."

Chinese: 他的建议只是大家听过的老生常谈。