如法炮制
rú fǎ páo zhì
to make it by the same recipe; to copy a method, often a trick
Character by character
如rú
follow
follow
法fǎ
method
method
炮páo
prepare
prepare
制zhì
make
make
Example
一家店靠门口排长队走红以后，附近几家店也如法炮制。
After one shop became famous for the long queue outside its door, several shops nearby did exactly the same.
Tone: neutral.
Usage and origin
炮制 (páozhì, not pàozhì) is preparing herbal medicine by the set rules, so the idiom first meant making a medicine by the prescribed method. Today it means copying any method, often with a hint of disapproval when what is copied is a trick or a dodge. Close to 照葫芦画瓢, which is more colloquial.
Learn this in Lesson 179 · HSK 7–9: 克隆猴与基因编辑 (Cloned monkeys and edited genes)
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