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Chinese/Dictionary entry

换汤不换药

huàn tāng bù huàn yàodictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
different broth but the same old medicine (idiom) / a change in name only / a change in form but not in substance
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-4375500984872046. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

換湯不換藥 换汤不换药 [huan4 tang1 bu4 huan4 yao4] /different broth but the same old medicine (idiom); a change in name only/a change in form but not in substance/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

Other forms in these source records: 換湯不換藥

  • 换
    huàn

    to exchange / to change (clothes etc) / to substitute / to switch / to convert (currency)

  • 汤
    shāng

    rushing current

    tāng

    soup / hot or boiling water / decoction of medicinal herbs / water in which sth has been boiled

    Tāng

    surname Tang

  • 不
    bù

    no / not so / (bound form) not / un-

  • 换
    huàn

    to exchange / to change (clothes etc) / to substitute / to switch / to convert (currency)

  • 药
    yào

    leaf of the iris / medicine / drug / substance used for a specific purpose (e.g. poisoning, explosion, fermenting) / CL:種|种[zhǒng],服[fù],味[wèi] / to poison

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.