Chinese word

寻常

Pronunciation

Pinyinxún cháng

Meaning

  • adjectiveordinary

Example

这只是一个寻常的例子。zhè zhǐ shì yí gè xún cháng de lì zi

This is just an ordinary example.

Illustration for 寻常 (ordinary)

More examples

这种寻常的错误很容易改正。zhè zhǒng xún cháng de cuò wù hěn róng yì gǎi zhèng

This kind of ordinary mistake is easy to correct.

Core concept

The normal pattern that keeps appearing in familiar situations.

Common phrases

  • 寻常的生活xún cháng de shēng huó

    ordinary life

  • 寻常的景象xún cháng de jǐng xiàng

    ordinary scene

  • 寻常的错误xún cháng de cuò wù

    ordinary mistake

Similar words

普通pǔ tōng: General and ordinary, without qualities that make something stand out.
一般yì bān: Typical in a broad range of cases and not limited to something special.
常见cháng jiàn: Seen frequently in everyday experience, so it is not unusual.
平常píng cháng: Part of the normal daily pattern, with nothing different from usual.

Definition in Chinese

指在习惯或常态下常见、不具特殊性的事物或情形。zhǐ zài xí guàn huò cháng tài xià cháng jiàn bú jù tè shū xìng de shì wù huò qíng xíng

Word origin

寻 (xún, "an eight-chi measure") + 常 (cháng, "a sixteen-chi measure") first referred to lengths, and the compound shifted from a literal measurement to the sense of what commonly occurs.

Usage tips

  • English average can suggest a numerical result or middling quality, but this word can describe something without making a measured judgment about its quality.

Other meanings

  • usualadjective
  • averageadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word