老生常谈
lǎo shēng cháng tán
the same old advice; a platitude
Character by character
老lǎo
old
old
生shēng
scholar
scholar
常cháng
usual
usual
谈tán
talk
talk
Example
多喝水虽是老生常谈，却很有用。
'Drink more water' may be old advice, but it works.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
Modest opener: 这虽然是老生常谈，但……
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