寻常

尋常

xúncháng

adjective HSK 7-9 #4,104

Meanings

1 ordinary
2 commonplace
3 usual

Characters

ordinary; to seek

Both characters convey 'ordinary' — an emphatic word for commonplace

Examples

这不是一件寻常的事。

Zhèbù shì yī jiàn xúncháng de shì.

This is no ordinary matter.

他看起来和寻常人没什么两样。

Tā kànqǐlái hé xúncháng rén méishénme liǎng yàng.

He looks no different from an ordinary person.

Tips

register

寻常 is more literary than 普通 (pǔtōng) or 平常 (píngcháng). Often used in formal writing or set phrases like 不同寻常 (extraordinary).

Stroke Order

寻 xún

常 cháng