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常规 (cháng guī) — (noun) routine, standard procedure (especially in medical or institutional settings); (adjective) conventional, routine, standard

Definition

常规 means the standard or routine way of doing things — established procedure or method. Unlike 传统 ('tradition'), it refers to current practice rather than long-held cultural heritage; unlike 条例, it is not a formal written regulation.

noun
routinestandard procedure (especially in medical or institutional settings)
adjective
conventionalroutinestandard

Examples

  • 常规。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì tā zuò yí gè cháng guī jiǎn chá.
    The doctor recommended he get a routine check-up.
  • 常规。
    Zhè ge liú chéng bù fú hé gōng sī de cháng guī.
    This process does not conform to the company's standard procedure.
  • 常规。
    Wǒ men cǎi yòng cháng guī fāng fǎ chǔ lǐ zhè xiē wèn tí.
    We use conventional methods to handle these issues.

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.

常chángusual
规guīrule

常 means usual, 规 means rule; together they give routine or conventional standards.

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.

Open 常 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 規; 规 is its simplified writing.

  • 夫夫fūhusband
  • 見見jiànsee

The simplified 规 is a shorthand; the traditional form 規 shows a cross-shaped compass in its early drawing, and its later form uses 夫 and 見.

Open 规 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 6Order & Arrangement

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