一路货色 yī lù huò sè birds of a feather

Explanation

比喻同一类人或物，多指不好的人或物。

It is used to compare people or things of the same kind, mostly bad people or things.

Origin Story

在一个偏远的小山村里，住着两位老人，他们都是村里出了名的吝啬鬼。老张家有几亩薄田，靠天吃饭，日子过得紧紧巴巴。老李家则经营着一家小杂货铺，虽然生意不景气，但好歹也能维持生计。两人都十分节俭，舍不得吃好的，穿好的，总是精打细算，日子过得也算清贫安稳。一天，村里来了个算命先生，老张和老李不约而同地都找他算命。算命先生看完老张的面相，摇了摇头，说：“你命中注定要穷一辈子，没什么大富大贵的命。”老张一听，眉头紧锁，叹了口气，回去后更是省吃俭用，恨不得一分钱掰成两半花。老李也去算命，算命先生看了他的面相后，同样摇了摇头，说道：“你也是穷命，难有富贵。”老李听后，心情低落，但他并没有灰心丧气，反而更加努力地经营自己的小铺子，希望能够改变自己的命运。老张与老李，虽然生活境遇不同，但他们对金钱的吝啬和对生活的俭朴，却有着惊人的相似之处，简直就是一路货色。

zài yīgè piānyuǎn de xiǎoshān cūn lǐ, zhù zhe liǎng wèi lǎorén, tāmen dōu shì cūn lǐ chūle míng de lìnsè guǐ. lǎo zhāng jiā yǒu jǐ mǔ bó tián, kào tiān chīfàn, rìzi guò de jǐn jǐn bā bā. lǎo lǐ jiā zé jīngyíng zhe yī jiā xiǎo záhuò pù, suīrán shēngyì bù jǐngqì, dàn hǎodǎi yě néng wéichí shēngjì. liǎng rén dōu shífēn jiéjiǎn, shěbude chī hǎo de, chuān hǎo de, zǒng shì jīngdǎ suànsuàn, rìzi guò de yě suàn qīngpín ānwěn. yī tiān, cūn lǐ lái le ge suànmìng xiānsheng, lǎo zhāng hé lǎo lǐ bù yuē ér tóng de dōu zhǎo tā suànmìng. suànmìng xiānsheng kàn wán lǎo zhāng de miànxiàng, yǎo le yǎotóu, shuō: "nǐ mìng zhōng zhùdìng yào qióng yībèizi, méishénme dà fù dà guì de mìng." lǎo zhāng yī tīng, méitou jǐnsuǒ, tàn le kǒuxī, huí qù hòu gèng shì shěng chī jiǎnyòng, hènbude yī fēn qián bāi chéng liǎng bàn huā. lǎo lǐ yě qù suànmìng, suànmìng xiānsheng kàn le tā de miànxiàng hòu, tóngyàng yǎo le yǎotóu, shuōdào: "nǐ yě shì qióng mìng, nán yǒu fù guì." lǎo lǐ tīng hòu, xīnqíng dīluò, dàn tā bìng méiyǒu huīxīn sàngqì, fǎn'ér gèngjiā nǔlì de jīngyíng zìjǐ de xiǎo pùzi, xīwàng nénggòu gǎibiàn zìjǐ de mìngyùn. lǎo zhāng yǔ lǎo lǐ, suīrán shēnghuó jìngyù bùtóng, dàn tāmen duì jīnqián de lìnsè hé duì shēnghuó de jiǎnpǔ, què yǒu zhe jīngrén de xiāngsì zhī chù, jiǎnzhí jiù shì yī lù huò sè.

In a remote mountain village, there lived two old men, both known in the village as notorious misers. Old Zhang owned a few small plots of land, and made a living from farming, his life was meager. Old Li ran a small grocery store, his business was not doing well, but at least he could support himself. Both men were extremely frugal, unwilling to indulge in good food or clothing, always careful with their money, living a simple but secure life. One day, a fortune teller came to the village, and both Old Zhang and Old Li went to see him without knowing. The fortune teller examined Old Zhang’s face, shook his head, and said, "Your destiny is to be poor all your life, there are no great riches in store for you." Old Zhang heard this, his brows furrowed, and he sighed, and returned home to live even more frugally, trying to make every penny count. Old Li also went to see the fortune teller, the fortune teller looked at his face and shook his head, saying, "You are also destined to be poor, and it is difficult for you to become rich." Old Li heard this and felt gloomy, but he was not discouraged, he worked even harder to run his small shop, hoping to change his fate. Old Zhang and Old Li, although their living conditions were different, their stinginess toward money and their frugality in life were strikingly similar; they were simply birds of a feather.

Usage

用作谓语、宾语、定语；指同一类的人或事物，多指不好的人或事物。

yòng zuò wèiyǔ, bìnyǔ, dìngyǔ; zhǐ tóng yī lèi de rén huò shìwù, duō zhǐ bù hǎo de rén huò shìwù

Used as predicate, object, attributive; refers to the same kind of people or things, mostly bad people or things.

Examples

• 他俩简直是一路货色，做事都那么不靠谱。

  tā liǎ jiǎnzhí shì yī lù huò sè, zuòshì dōu nàme bù kǎopù

  They are simply the same type of person, both unreliable.

• 这几个方案，都是一路货色，缺乏创新。

  zhè jǐ gè fāng'àn, dōu shì yī lù huò sè, quēfá chuàngxīn

  These plans are all of the same kind, lacking innovation.

• 这些画作，风格相似，简直是一路货色。

  zhèxiē huàzuò, fēnggé xiāngsì, jiǎnzhí shì yī lù huò sè

  These paintings are similar in style, simply all the same.

Related Idioms

• 物以类聚

• 一丘之貉

Opposite Idioms

• 截然不同

• 千差万别