寻常

• Pinyin: xún cháng
• Hanzi breakdown: 寻 = 彐 + 工 + 寸 (measuring — the known/standard); 常 = 巾 + 尚 (cloth + esteem — regular/constant)

Meaning

Ordinary; common; usual; unremarkable. Describes something typical or standard, often used in contrast with something exceptional or extraordinary.

Somewhat literary in register, more formal than 普通 or 平常. Frequently appears with negation in the set phrase 非同寻常 (extraordinary; out of the ordinary). Found in classical poetry, formal prose, and elevated speech.

Examples

1. 这场演出绝非寻常，每一幕都令观众屏息凝神，演员的精湛表演令全场数度爆发出热烈掌声。 This performance was anything but ordinary: every scene held the audience spellbound, and the actors’ superb acting drew bursts of enthusiastic applause again and again.
2. 他看似寻常的举动背后，隐藏着一段鲜为人知的历史渊源，令知情者无不感慨万千。 Behind his seemingly ordinary actions lay a little-known historical connection, leaving those who knew the story deeply moved.
3. 在她看来，寻常的日子只要用心经营，同样能充满细腻的意义与温情，无须刻意追求轰轰烈烈。 In her view, even ordinary days can be filled with subtle meaning and warmth if you tend to them with care—there’s no need to chase after anything grand or dramatic.

Usage Guide

Context: literature, formal writing, commentary

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 此次发现绝非寻常，其重要性足以改写现有的历史叙述框架。(This discovery is by no means ordinary; its significance is enough to rewrite the existing framework of historical narrative.)
• 面对这位非同寻常的对手，他意识到仅凭过去的经验与技巧已远远不够。(Faced with this extraordinary opponent, he realised that past experience and skill alone were far from sufficient.)

Don't Say

• 今天天气寻常 — 寻常 sounds unnatural in casual weather descriptions; use 普通 or 平常 for everyday speech; 寻常 suits formal or literary contexts

Origin & History

寻 (measure/search — the known/standard) + 常 (constant/ordinary)

Cultural Context

Era: Classical/Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal