Chinese word

常人

Pronunciation

Pinyincháng rén

Meaning

  • nounordinary person

Example

我只是个常人，也会犯错。wǒ zhǐ shì gè cháng rén yě huì fàn cuò

I'm just an ordinary person, and I make mistakes too.

Illustration for 常人 (ordinary person)

More examples

他的成就常人难以想象。tā de chéng jiù cháng rén nán yí xiǎng xiàng

His achievements are hard for ordinary people to imagine.

Core concept

It frames a person as one of many who live by ordinary human standards, not as a notable authority, genius, or special being.

Common phrases

  • 常人难以想象cháng rén nán yí xiǎng xiàng

    hard for ordinary people to imagine

  • 常人眼中cháng rén yǎn zhōng

    in the eyes of ordinary people

Similar words

普通人pǔ tōng rén: A person with no unusual qualities who leads a normal everyday life.
一般人yì bān rén: One of many people without a special role, authority, or other official power.

Definition in Chinese

普通的人，没有特殊才能、地位或身份，按一般标准生活和行事的人。pǔ tōng de rén méi yǒu tè shū cái néng dì wèi huò shēn fèn àn yì bān biāo zhǔn shēng huó hé xíng shì de rén

Word origin

常 (cháng, "usual") + 人 (rén, "person") presents a person as an ordinary member of humanity rather than an exceptional figure.

Usage tips

  • When a speaker calls themselves 常人 (chángrén, "ordinary person"), the statement can be modest or matter-of-fact and does not by itself judge the person's worth.

Other meanings

  • mortalnoun

Opposites

  • 圣人shèng rénsaintnoun
  • 超人chāo rénsuperhumannoun

Word lists with this word