TongTong
Sign in

庸人 (yōng rén) — common person, mediocre person (without notable achievements or talents)

Definition

Literary term for a 'mediocre, ordinary person' — someone without talent, ambition, or notable achievement, often content with the status quo. Carries a dismissive, literary tone rarely used in casual speech.

noun
common personmediocre person (without notable achievements or talents)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 庸人，。
    Tā zhǐ shì yí gè yōng rén, méi yǒu shén me tè bié de dì fāng.
    He is just a common person, with nothing special about him.
  • 庸人，。
    yōng rén Wǎng wǎng ān yú xiàn zhuàng, bú yuàn gǎi biàn.
    Mediocre people tend to be content with the status quo and unwilling to change.
  • 庸人，。
    Bú yào zuò yōng rén, yào gǎn yú zhuī qiú zì jǐ de mù biāo.
    Don't be a mediocre person; dare to pursue your own goals.

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.

庸yōngmediocre
人rénperson

庸 describes mediocrity, and 人 is a person; together it means a mediocre person.

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
庚庚gēng
Sound part声符shēngfú
同
同tóng庸yōng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

庸 is built from 庚 and 同, with 同 giving the sound. It probably originally meant a large bell.

Open 庸 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →
Appears in
People (General)

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