be the same in essentials while differing in minor points

be the same in essentials while differing in minor points

Similar, Chinese idioms, Pinyin is d à t ó ngxi à oy à, meaning roughly the same, slightly different. It comes from Zhuangzi · Tianxia written by Zhuang Zhou.

The origin of Idioms

Chuang Tzu · Tian Xia: "Great Harmony and small sameness and dissimilarity are called small sameness and dissimilarity; all things are complete sameness and dissimilarity are called Great Harmony and dissimilarity."

Idiom usage

The reader always feels that there are many articles that seem to be similar in size and nothing new. (Ma Nan Tsun's "Yanshan night talk: the remaining evils of Bagu"

Analysis of Idioms

Be quite different as like as two peas. Totally different from the opposite.