一如既往
yī rú jì wǎng · HSK 7
continuing as always
🔁 一如既往 = one (一) + as (如) + already (既) + past (往): one and the same as always
Literally one-as-already-past: things run exactly as they did before. 既 marks something already settled and 往 means gone-by time, so the whole reads continuing unchanged, the same way it has always been.
一 — single horizontal stroke
一 is one of the simplest pictographs in Chinese, depicting a single horizontal line to represent the number one. It has retained essentially the same form since oracle bone script over 3,000 years ago. By extension it also means 'first,' 'whole,' or 'same.'
如 — woman radical 女 + mouth 口
Originally a phono-semantic compound where 女 (woman) suggested compliance and 口 (mouth) indicated speaking or following orders. The early sense was 'to follow' or 'to comply with what is said,' which extended to 'to be like' or 'as if.' Modern uses like 'if' and 'such as' grew from this comparative meaning.
既 — 皀 (food vessel) + 旡 (person turning away)
Originally a pictograph of a person turning away from a food vessel, signaling a finished meal. From this came the meanings 'already' and 'completed.' The modern sense 'since' or 'now that' developed by extension from the idea of an action already done.
往 — 彳 (step radical) + 主 (phonetic)
往 originally depicted a foot moving toward a place, with the 彳 radical signaling motion or walking. The right component 主 served mainly as a phonetic clue. Over time the meaning settled into 'to go (toward)' and, by extension, 'past' or 'previously'.