一貫 and 一律: a consistent direction and uniform conditions
Compare a consistent stance or use of color with uniform treatment or a flat participation fee. Read the direction maintained across a period or work separately from a condition applied across people.
A direction maintained across a period or work
一貫 (いっかん) concerns consistency. 「彼女は最初から最後まで一貫して反対した。」 means “She remained consistently opposed from beginning to end.” The maintained direction is opposition over that span, rather than a condition applied equally to everyone.
「作品全体に一貫した色使いが見られる。」 means “The use of color is consistent throughout the work.” This concerns direction across a whole work as well as consistency over time. Consistent use of color does not mean that every part must have a single numerically identical color.
The same condition applied across people
一律 (いちりつ) includes uniform and across the board. 「事情を考えず全員を一律に扱うのは難しい。」 means “It is difficult to treat everyone uniformly without considering their circumstances.” This evaluates the difficulty of uniform treatment; it does not report that such treatment has already been completed.
「参加費は年齢にかかわらず一律千円だ。」 means “The participation fee is a flat one thousand yen regardless of age.” The condition and amount are explicit across age differences. The sentence does not guarantee that the amount will never change or establish a judgment of fairness.
Separate the maintained direction from the recipients
For 一貫, identify the direction maintained across a span or whole; for 一律, identify the same condition applied across recipients. Both perspectives could occur together when a uniform fee also stays consistent over time. They are not automatically the same question.
This comparison asks what remains consistent and to whom the same condition applies, rather than whether checks were performed thoroughly. A work's use of color and an age-independent fee provide different criteria. Consistency and uniformity are not universal proof that a choice is correct or fair.
Which perspective fits a fee of one thousand yen for everyone regardless of age, and which fits a consistent use of color throughout a work?
Show the answer and why
The fee focuses on 一律, the same condition applied across people. The use of color focuses on 一貫, a consistent direction across the whole work. Keep those criteria separate from thorough checking or a guarantee of fairness.