一般
yī bān HSK 3

English Meaning

Categories

📚 Example Sentences

我一般吃米饭。
Wǒ yībān chī mǐfàn.
I usually eat rice.
这是一般问题。
Zhè shì yībān wèntí.
This is a common problem.
他一般去公园。
Tā yībān qù gōngyuán.
He usually goes to the park.
他的成绩很一般。
Tā de chéngjī hěn yībān.
His grades are average.
这家餐厅很一般。
Zhè jiā cāntīng hěn yībān.
This restaurant is ordinary.

💡 Memory Tip

Think of 一般 as 'one level' (一 means 'one,' 般 can relate to 'level' or 'kind'), suggesting something is at a standard or average level—not special, but typical.

📝 Usage Notes

Used in both spoken and written Chinese, in formal and informal contexts. Common in daily conversation to describe routines, general conditions, or average qualities (e.g., 'generally speaking' or 'it's okay/so-so').

📖 Grammar Points

Often placed before nouns as an adjective (e.g., 一般人 - ordinary person) or used adverbially in sentences to indicate frequency (e.g., 我一般六点起床 - I usually get up at six). Can be used in comparisons like 跟...一般 (same as...).

🏯 Cultural Notes

In Chinese culture, describing something as 一般 can imply modesty or downplay quality, such as when responding to compliments (e.g., saying 一般 to mean 'it's just okay' rather than boasting).

🔄 Similar Words

Compared to 普通 (pǔtōng, 'ordinary' or 'common'), 一般 emphasizes typicality or averageness, while 普通 is more neutral for 'commonplace.' 平常 (píngcháng) means 'usual' but often implies everyday normality without the 'average' connotation.

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