一如既往

• Pinyin: yī rú jì wǎng
• Hanzi breakdown: 一 = one (just, exactly); 如 = 女 + 口 (woman + mouth — as, like); 既 = completed past marker; 往 = 彳 + 主 (movement + main — former times, the past)

Meaning

Just as always; as before; continuing as before without change. Idiom expressing that something remains exactly as it has always been — consistent, reliable, and unchanged.

A positive set phrase emphasising steadiness and continuity. Used for people maintaining long-held habits, warm relationships enduring unchanged, or organisations continuing their established approach. Common patterns: 一如既往地支持 (supporting as always), 一如既往地认真 (as conscientious as ever), 一如既往的热情 (the same warmth as always).

Examples

1. 尽管公司规模扩大了十倍，创始人依然一如既往地保持着每天早晨与一线员工一起用早餐的习惯。 Even though the company has grown tenfold, the founder still keeps, as always, the habit of having breakfast every morning with frontline employees.
2. 老同学多年未见，重逢时她一如既往地热情开朗，仿佛岁月从未在她身上留下任何痕迹。 The old classmates hadn’t seen each other in years, but when they reunited she was as warm and outgoing as ever, as if time had left no trace on her at all.
3. 进入第五年，这项公益助学项目一如既往地向山区贫困学生提供全额奖学金，资助从未中断过。 Now in its fifth year, this charitable scholarship program continues as always to provide full scholarships to low-income students in mountain areas, without a single interruption in funding.

Usage Guide

Context: interpersonal, institutional, literary, journalism

Tone: positive

Do Say

• 历经三十年风雨，这家出版社一如既往地专注于人文社科领域，从未因商业压力而偏离最初的出版理念，在读者中积累了深厚的信誉。(Through thirty years of trials and tribulations, the publishing house continued as always to focus on humanities and social sciences, never deviating from its founding editorial principles under commercial pressure; it has accumulated deep credibility among readers.)
• 即便在公司最艰难的财务困境期间，管理层一如既往地按时足额支付员工薪酬，这一决定赢得了全体员工的信任与忠诚。(Even during the company's most difficult period of financial hardship, management continued as always to pay employees' salaries on time and in full; this decision earned the trust and loyalty of all staff.)

Don't Say

• 一如既往地改变 — 一如既往 specifically describes absence of change; pairing it with 改变 (change) is a direct contradiction; use 持续推进改革 or 不断更新 for ongoing change

Origin & History

一 (one/just) + 如 (like/as — 女 woman + 口 mouth; to be as, to resemble) + 既 (already/since — indicating the completed past) + 往 (past/former — 彳 movement + 主; going, former times)

Cultural Context

Era: Classical/Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal