bù不notyuē约agreeér而andtóng同same
To do the same thing without prior consultation; to coincide.
Literal meaning
not (不) — agree (约) — and (而) — same (同)
Origin
A classical four-character phrase describing a spontaneous agreement.
Examples
Tā他men们bù不yuē约ér而tóng同de地xuǎn选zé择le了tóng同yī一jiā家cān餐tīng厅。
They chose the same restaurant without prior arrangement.
Dà大jiā家bù不yuē约ér而tóng同de地gǔ鼓qǐ起zhǎng掌lái来。
Everyone started clapping at the same time.
Usage & nuances
Highlights a surprising or coincidental agreement.
Learn idioms by speaking them
Idioms are most useful when they land in a real conversation. Practice them out loud in Kango — get instant feedback on tone and timing.
Download Kango on iOS