Difference between revisions of "Comparing "pingshi" and "pingchang""
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| − | * | + | *清洁工 的 工作 很 <em>平常</em> ，但是 也 很 重要 。<span class="trans">The street cleaners are ordinary, but they are also very important.</span> |
| − | * | + | *对 中国 来说 ，2008 年 是 很 不 <em>平常</em> 的 一 年 。<span class="trans">To China, the year 2008 is not an ordinary year.</span> |
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Revision as of 02:52, 16 January 2018
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Level
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Used for
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Keywords
平时 (píngshí) and 平常 (píngcháng) look very similar (after all, they do start with 平!), and they have similar meanings of "often," but they have pretty different grammatical uses.
Contents
平常 is used as noun
平常 can be used as a noun. It means "in ordinary times:, as in "ordinary times I usually meet with my friends after school."
Structure
Subj. + 平常 + Verb
Examples
- 我 平常 不 和 朋友 见面。I ordinarily don't meet friends.
- 你 平常 用 QQ 聊天 吗？Do you usually use QQ to chat?
平时 is used as noun
When 平时 is used as a noun it is the same as 平常 when it is used as a noun.
Structure
Subj. + 平时 + Verb
Examples
- 我们 平时 都 不 在 家 吃饭，我们 在 外面 吃。Most of the time, we don't eat in the house. We go out to eat.
- 你 平时 会 看 新闻 吗？Will you watch the news often?
- 我 平时 不 买 这 种 很 便宜 但是 质量 很 差 的 东西。I don't usually buy this kind of cheap, inferior stuff.
平常 as an Adjective
When 平常 is used as an adjective, it expresses the meaning of "common." 平时 cannot be used this way.
Structure
平常的 + Noun
Examples
- 清洁工 的 工作 很 平常 ，但是 也 很 重要 。The street cleaners are ordinary, but they are also very important.
- 对 中国 来说 ，2008 年 是 很 不 平常 的 一 年 。To China, the year 2008 is not an ordinary year.
Example dialog
- A: 你 平时 / 平常 做饭 吗 ？Do you often cook?
- B: 对的 。Correct.
- A: 你 会 做 什么 菜 ？What can you cook?
- B: 都是 很 平常 的 菜 。Just those ordinary ones.
Sources and further reading
Books
- 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 1051) [ →buy]
- 现代汉语八百词（增订本） (pp. 1053) [ →buy]
