平淡 (píng dàn) — plain, ordinary, unremarkable | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

平淡 describes life, style, or events that are plain and uneventful — no excitement or strong flavor. Compare 平凡 (being ordinary as a quality of a person or life in general) and 清淡 (used for food, business, or taste, not for lifestyle).

adjective

plainordinaryunremarkable

Examples

平淡，。
Zhè tāng wèi dào píng dàn, méi yǒu jiā tài duō tiáo liào.
This soup tastes bland, not too many seasonings added.
平淡，。
Tā xǐ huan píng dàn de shēng huó, bù xiǎng yǒu tài duō biàn huà.
He likes a plain life and doesn't want too many changes.
平淡，。
Tā de chuān zhuó hěn píng dàn, zǒng shì jiǎn dān de kuǎn shì.
Her clothing is very plain, always simple styles.

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 (plain) and 淡 (bland) combine to describe something unremarkable.

Characters in this word

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

八八bādivision
亏亏kuīexhaled air

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

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

氵炎淡

Meaning part形符xíngfú

氵Written in full as水shuǐwater

Sound part声符shēngfú

炎

炎yán淡dàn

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

淡 puts 氵 (water) beside 炎, which gives the sound yán.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 Good & Bad

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