How to Say “Great minds think alike” in Chinese
Small talk and travel · HSK 4
"Great minds think alike" in Chinese is 英雄所见略同 (Yīngxióng suǒ jiàn lüè tóng). 英雄所见略同 is a chéngyǔ (four-character idiom; technically five here) that literally means 'what heroes see is largely the same.' It comes from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms era and is the exact cultural equivalent of 'great minds think alike.
Primary translation
英雄所见略同
Yīngxióng suǒ jiàn lüè tóng
Traditional: 英雄所見略同
Variants by register
Formal
英雄所见略同
Yīngxióng suǒ jiàn lüè tóng
Casual
咱俩想一块儿去了
Zán liǎ xiǎng yí kuàir qù le
When to use it
英雄所见略同 is a chéngyǔ (four-character idiom; technically five here) that literally means 'what heroes see is largely the same.' It comes from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms era and is the exact cultural equivalent of 'great minds think alike.' Using it in conversation shows literacy and a bit of wit; Chinese speakers love dropping idioms like this in everyday banter. The casual version 想一块儿去了 is pure Beijing dialect: 一块儿 means 'together' and 想到一块儿去 means 'our thoughts landed in the same spot.' Both are used to celebrate a shared idea, often said with a laugh.
Example sentences
你也点了麻辣香锅？英雄所见略同啊！
Nǐ yě diǎn le málà xiāngguō? Yīngxióng suǒ jiàn lüè tóng a!
You also ordered spicy dry pot? Great minds think alike!
哈哈，咱俩想一块儿去了。
Hāhā, zán liǎ xiǎng yí kuàir qù le.
Haha, great minds think alike.
我正想给你发消息呢，真是英雄所见略同。
Wǒ zhèng xiǎng gěi nǐ fā xiāoxi ne, zhēn shì yīngxióng suǒ jiàn lüè tóng.
I was just about to message you; great minds really do think alike.