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平常 (píng cháng) — (adjective) ordinary, common; (noun) ordinary times, usual days

Definition

平常 is both an adjective meaning 'ordinary, common' and a noun meaning 'ordinary times, everyday life.' As a noun it's close to 平时 — but 平常 sounds slightly more literary and can modify nouns (平常人), while 平时 is purely adverbial.

adjective
ordinarycommon
noun
ordinary timesusual days

Examples

  • 平常，。
    Zhè jiàn shì hěn píng cháng, bú yòng jué de qí guài.
    This matter is very ordinary; there's no need to find it strange.
  • 平常。
    Tā chuān le yí jiàn hěn píng cháng de yī fu.
    He wore a very ordinary piece of clothing.
  • 平常，。
    Zài píng cháng, tā dōu hěn máng.
    In ordinary times, he is always very busy.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

平píngordinary
常chángusual

平 (ordinary) and 常 (usual) both contribute the sense of ordinary, common, and usual times.

Characters in this word

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

The origin is uncertain. One explanation combines 八 (division) and 亏 (exhaled air) to show smooth speech.

Open 平 →

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 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 55000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

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