TongTong
Sign in

平日 (píng rì) — ordinary day (as opposed to weekends or holidays); (used adverbially) usually, ordinarily; on regular days

Definition

Literally 'ordinary days', contrasting ordinary days with weekends or holidays. Unlike 平时/平常 (also 'usually' / 'ordinary times'), 平日 foregrounds the contrast with special days.

noun
ordinary day (as opposed to weekends or holidays)(used adverbially) usuallyordinarilyon regular days

Examples

  • 平日，。
    píng rì Chāo shì rén bù duō, dàn zhōu mò jǐ mǎn le rén.
    The supermarket isn't crowded on ordinary days, but on weekends it's packed.
  • 平日，。
    Tā píng rì gōng zuò hěn máng, zhǐ yǒu wǎn shàng cái néng kàn shū.
    He's usually very busy with work and can only read in the evenings.
  • 平日，。
    píng rì De fàn cài hěn jiǎn dān, zhōu mò cái huì zuò jǐ gè hǎo cài.
    On ordinary days meals are very simple; only on weekends do we cook a few nice dishes.

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.

平píngordinary
日rìday

平 (ordinary) and 日 (day) combine to mean a regular day.

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 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

日 originally drew the sun. A mark was added inside to tell it apart from similar square shapes.

Open 日 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Days & Weeks

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.