凡

fán
adjective #7,872

Meanings

  1. 1 ordinary; mundane
  2. 2 every; all; any

Examples

HSK 1
Fánshì xuésheng dōu kěyǐ.
Any student can do it.
HSK 7-9
Fēifán de chéngjiù.
Extraordinary achievements.

Tips

usage
平凡 = ordinary, 非凡 = extraordinary, 凡是 = every/any.

Components

radical
几 jī
small table; frame
Outer frame 几 - the indexing radical, here the two-stroke outline that hooks down on the right. 凡 etymologically came from a pictograph of a casting mould or floor plan (totally unrelated to a table); modern stroke-count convention files it under 几 because the silhouette matches. Provides the bordering frame around the inner dot.
ideograph
丶 zhǔ
dot; marker stroke
Inner marker dot - distinguishes 凡 from the otherwise-identical 几 (table). In the original casting-mould reading, the dot represents the contents poured into the form, giving the meaning 'every instance that fits the standard'. Without this single dot the character is just 几; with it, it means 'all, every, ordinary' (凡是, 凡人, 不平凡).

Stroke Order

凡 fán