Meaning of 平凡
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- commonplace
- ordinary
- mediocre
How to use 平凡
平凡 often describes people, jobs, or lives in a neutral or even warm way, praising quiet everyday effort. Example: 他是一个平凡的人。(Tā shì yí gè píngfán de rén.) He is an ordinary person.
平 (píng) means flat or level, and 凡 (fán) means ordinary. Picture a flat, level road with nothing special on it: that is 平凡, a plain, ordinary life.
Common mistake: Learners often use 平凡 where 平常 (píngcháng) fits better. 平常 describes usual times or everyday habits, as in 我平常七点起床, while 平凡 describes the quality of a person or life being ordinary, not 平凡七点起床.
平凡 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
平 píng · flat · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
凡 fán · ordinary · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 平凡.
| 公平 | gōngpíng | fair; impartial |
| 平常 | píngcháng | ordinary; common |
| 平时 | píngshí | ordinarily; in normal times |
| 水平 | shuǐpíng | horizontal; level; a standard; a level (of ability, development etc) |
| 平安 | píng'ān | safe and sound; well |
| 平等 | píngděng | equal; equality |
| 一路平安 | yīlù-píng'ān | to have a pleasant journey; Bon voyage! |
| 和平 | hépíng | peace; peaceful |
| 平静 | píngjìng | calm; tranquil; serene |
| 平均 | píngjūn | average; on average; evenly; in equal proportions |
| 平稳 | píngwěn | smooth; steady |
| 平方 | píngfāng | square (as in square foot, square mile, square root) |
Questions about 平凡
What does 平凡 mean?
平凡 (píngfán) means "commonplace; ordinary" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 平凡?
平凡 is made of 2 characters: 平 (5 strokes), 凡 (3 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 平凡 an HSK word?
Yes. 平凡 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Is 平凡 an insult in Chinese?
Usually not. It is often positive, as in 平凡的岗位 (ordinary job) or 平凡中的伟大 (greatness in the ordinary). If you want to criticize something as mediocre, 平庸 (píngyōng) is the more negative word.
What is the opposite of 平凡?
The common opposite is 不平凡 (bù píngfán), meaning extraordinary or remarkable. You may also see 非凡 (fēifán), which means outstanding.