Definition
如法炮制 is a four-character idiom (chengyu) that literally means 'to prepare (herbal medicine) by roasting according to the recipe'. Figuratively, it means to follow an existing method or pattern exactly, often with a slightly mechanical or uncreative connotation. It is commonly used in business, academic, and everyday contexts to describe copying a procedure or approach without modification. The third character 炮 is pronounced bāo (not páo) in this idiom, referring to a traditional Chinese medicine processing technique.
f.e.
to follow a set patternto do something exactly as someone else did before
Examples
- 如法炮制，。Xīn lái de jīnglǐ rú fǎ bāo, wánquán zhào bān qiánrèn de guǎnlǐ fāngshì.The new manager followed the same pattern and completely copied the predecessor's management style.
- 如法炮制，。Tāmen rú fǎ bāo, bǎ qùnián chénggōng de yíngxiāo fāng'àn yòu yòng le yí cì.They followed the set pattern and used last year's successful marketing plan again.
- 如法炮制，。Xiě lùnwén shí bù néng zǒng shì rú fǎ bāo, yào yǒu zìjǐ de chuàngxīn diǎn.When writing a thesis, you can't always follow a set pattern; you need to have your own innovative points.
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