笼而统之 lóng ér tǒng zhī lump together

Explanation

指不加区别地把不同的事物混在一起。

refers to indiscriminately mixing different things together.

Origin Story

从前，在一个偏远的小山村里，住着一位老中医。他医术精湛，远近闻名。有一天，村里来了几个外乡人，他们都患上了不同的疾病，有的咳嗽，有的发热，有的腹痛。老中医细心地为他们一一诊脉，开出了不同的药方。其中一个外乡人看着其他人，疑惑地说："老中医，我们的病症都不一样，为什么您开的药方都一样？"老中医笑着解释道："你们虽然病症不同，但都属于外感风寒，只是轻重缓急不同而已。我开的药方都是针对外感风寒的，只是用量和成分略有区别。"外乡人这才恍然大悟，纷纷表示感谢。这个故事说明，在处理问题时，不能笼而统之，要根据具体情况具体分析。

cóng qián, zài yīgè piānyuǎn de xiǎoshān cūn lǐ, zhù zhe yī wèi lǎo zhōng yī. tā yīshù jīngzhàn, yuǎnjìn wénmíng. yǒu yī tiān, cūn lǐ lái le jǐ gè wài xiāng rén, tāmen dōu huàn shang le bùtóng de jíbìng, yǒude késòu, yǒude fā rè, yǒude fù tòng. lǎo zhōng yī xìxīn de wèi tāmen yī yī zhěn mài, kāi le bùtóng de yào fāng. qízhōng yīgè wài xiāng rén kànzhe qítā rén, yíhuò de shuō: 'lǎo zhōng yī, wǒmen de bìng zhèng dōu bù yīyàng, wèishénme nín kāi de yào fāng dōu yīyàng?' lǎo zhōng yī xiàozhe jiěshì dào: 'nǐmen suīrán bìng zhèng bùtóng, dàn dōu shǔyú wài gǎn fēng hán, zhǐshì qīngzhòng huǎnjié bùtóng éryǐ. wǒ kāi de yào fāng dōu shì zhēnduì wài gǎn fēng hán de, zhǐshì yòngliàng hé chéngfèn lüè yǒu qūbié.' wài xiāng rén zhè cái huǎngrán dàwù, fēnfēn biǎoshì gǎnxiè. zhège gùshì shuōmíng, zài chǔlǐ wèntí shí, bù néng lóng ér tǒng zhī, yào gēnjù jùtǐ qíngkuàng jùtǐ fēnxī.

Once upon a time, in a remote mountain village, there lived an old Chinese doctor. He was famous for his superb medical skills. One day, several foreigners came to the village, and they all suffered from different diseases. Some had coughs, some had fevers, and some had stomachaches. The old doctor carefully examined them one by one and prescribed different prescriptions. One of the foreigners looked at the others and said with doubt, "Old doctor, our symptoms are all different, why are the prescriptions you give us all the same?" The old doctor smiled and explained, "Although your symptoms are different, they all belong to the common cold, but the severity and urgency are different. The prescriptions I give you are all aimed at the common cold, but the dosage and composition are slightly different." The foreigners suddenly realized and thanked the old doctor. This story shows that when dealing with problems, we cannot generalize and should analyze specific situations.

Usage

通常用于批评或告诫人们不要简单地把不同的事物混为一谈，而应该具体问题具体分析。

tōngcháng yòng yú pīpíng huò gàojiè rénmen bùyào jiǎndānde bǎ bùtóng de shìwù hùn wéi yī tán, ér yīnggāi jùtǐ wèntí jùtǐ fēnxī

It is often used to criticize or warn people not to simply mix different things together, but to analyze specific problems specifically.

Examples

• 不能笼而统之，要具体问题具体分析。

  bù néng lóng ér tǒng zhī, yào jùtǐ wèntí jùtǐ fēnxī

  These issues should not be treated indiscriminately; each should be examined on its own merits.

• 对这些问题，我们不能笼而统之，要分别对待。

  duì zhèxiē wèntí, wǒmen bù néng lóng ér tǒng zhī, yào fēnbié duìdài

  We shouldn't lump all these problems together; we need to deal with them separately

Related Idioms

• 混为一谈

• 一概而论

Opposite Idioms

• 区别对待

• 具体分析