Chinese word

通俗

Pronunciation

Pinyintōng sú

Meaning

  • adjectiveplain

Example

老师讲得很通俗，学生都听明白了。lǎo shī jiǎng de hěn tōng sú xué shēng dōu tīng míng bái le

The teacher explains things very plainly, and all the students understand.

Illustration for 通俗 (plain)

More examples

电视节目用通俗的例子说明专业问题。diàn shì jié mù yòng tōng sú de lì zi shuō míng zhuān yè wèn tí

The TV program uses easy-to-understand examples to explain technical problems.

Core concept

A bridge from specialist knowledge to everyday understanding through familiar language.

Common phrases

  • 通俗的表达tōng sú de biǎo dá

    easy-to-understand expression

  • 通俗的风格tōng sú de fēng gé

    popular style

  • 通俗读物tōng sú dú wù

    easy-to-read material

Similar words

简明jiǎn míng: Presents the main points clearly and briefly, without unnecessary words.
浅显qián xiǎn: Presents ideas in simple language that people without special knowledge can understand.
易懂yì dǒng: Has meaning that is clear and easy to grasp.
平易píng yì: Uses simple, natural language and a friendly style that readers can follow easily.

Definition in Chinese

用简明、生活化的方式把复杂内容表达出来，使一般人也能理解。yòng jiǎn míng shēng huó huà de fāng shì bǎ fù zá nèi róng biǎo dá chū lái shǐ yì bān rén yě néng lí jiě

Word origin

通 (tōng, "be understood") + 俗 (sú, "the common world") links understanding with the everyday public, forming a word for content made plain or suitable for broad circulation.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this word often evaluates how a speaker explains a difficult subject, so it describes accessibility of expression rather than the intelligence or education of the audience.

Other meanings

  • popularadjective

Opposites

  • 高深gāo shēnabstruseadjective
  • 晦涩huì sèobscureadjective

Related words

  • 通俗文学tōng sú wén xuépopular literaturenoun
  • 通俗化tōng sú huàsimplifyverb

Word lists with this word