常态 (cháng tài) — normal state; normality; the usual condition | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

常态 is the noun 'the norm / normal state,' describing a condition or pattern that recurs over time. 平常 is an everyday adjective ('ordinary') used to describe things, not a standing condition.

noun

normal statenormalitythe usual condition

Examples

，常态。
Yì qíng guò hòu, rén men de shēng huó màn màn huī fù le cháng tài.
After the pandemic, people's lives slowly returned to normal.
常态。
Zhè zhǒng gāo fáng jià zài hěn duō chéng shì yǐ jīng chéng wéi cháng tài.
This kind of high housing price has become the norm in many cities.
。
Bǎo chí shēn xīn jiàn kāng shì yì zhǒng lǐ xiǎng ér fēi cháng tài.
Maintaining physical and mental health is an ideal, not a normal state.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

The character 常 means usual, and 态 means state, so together they denote the usual condition.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

巾巾jīncloth

Sound part声符shēngfú

尚

尚shàng常cháng

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

常 pairs 巾, a cloth, with 尚 as a sound part; the form originally referred to a lower garment.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

太心态

Meaning part形符xíngfú

心心xīnheart

Sound part声符shēngfú

太

太tài态tài

Same sound today

态 is made of 太, which gives the sound, and 心 (heart).

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Abstract Concepts

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