通病

tōngbìng
noun #34,533

Meanings

  1. 1 common problem
  2. 2 common failing
  3. 3 widespread shortcoming

Examples

Tuōyán shì hěn duō rén de tōngbìng.
Procrastination is a common failing among many people.
Zhè shì guóchǎn chē de tōngbìng.
This is a common defect in domestically-made cars.

Tips

usage
通病 is always a flaw or shortcoming, never a strength. The means 'common, throughout' — so a 'common ailment' that many people or things share. Often used for character flaws (人性通病), industry-wide defects (行业通病), or design flaws (设计通病).

Stroke Order

tōng
bìng