cháng jiàn
common
这是常见的现象。
Zhè shì chángjiàn de xiànxiàng.
This is a common phenomenon.
我经常看到这种常见的鸟。
Wǒ jīngcháng kàn dào zhè zhǒng chángjiàn de niǎo.
I often see this common bird.
这种常见的病很容易治。
Zhè zhǒng chángjiàn de bìng hěn róngyì zhì.
This common disease is easy to cure.
普遍 (pǔ biàn)
common
经常 (jīng cháng)
frequent
罕见 (hǎn jiàn)
rare
少见 (shǎo jiàn)
uncommon
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The Chinese word 常见 (chángjiàn) is composed of two characters: 常 (cháng) and 见 (jiàn). The character 常 originally meant "regular" or "normal", and was often used to describe something that happens frequently or is always present. The character 见 originally meant "to see" or "to meet", and was often used to describe the act of perceiving something with one's eyes. When these two characters are combined, they form the word 常见, which literally means "to see often" or "to be common". In modern Chinese, 常见 is used to describe something that is frequently encountered or seen, or something that is generally accepted or known. For example, the phrase 常见的现象 (chángjiàn de xiànxiàng) means "a common phenomenon", and the phrase 常见的错误 (chángjiàn de cuòwù) means "a common mistake".
