凡人

Chinese

		ordinary; every; all ordinary; every; all; whatever; worldly	man; person; people
simp. and trad. (凡人)		凡	人

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): fánrén

  (Zhuyin): ㄈㄢˊ ㄖㄣˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): faan⁴ jan⁴
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): fàm-ngìn

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)
    • Pinyin: fánrén
    • Zhuyin: ㄈㄢˊ ㄖㄣˊ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: farnren
    • IPA ^(key): /fa̠n³⁵ ʐən³⁵/
    • Homophones:

      [Show/Hide]
      edit edit 凡人 煩人／烦人

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)
    • Jyutping: faan⁴ jan⁴
    • Yale: fàahn yàhn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: faan⁴ jan⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: fan⁴ yen⁴
    • IPA ^(key): /fɑːn²¹ jɐn²¹/
    • Homophones:

      edit edit 凡人 煩人／烦人

• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fàm-ngìn
    • Hakka Romanization System: famˇ nginˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: fam² ngin²
    • IPA: /fam¹¹ ɲin¹¹/

Noun

凡人

1. ordinary person; common people
2. mortal

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Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
凡	人
ぼん Grade: S	にん Grade: 1
on’yomi

From Middle Chinese compound 凡人 (bjom nyin). Compare modern Hakka reading fàm-ngìn.

The goon, so likely the initial borrowing.

Pronunciation

• On’yomi: Goon
  • (Tokyo) ぼんにん [bòńníń] (Heiban – [0])
  • IPA^(key): [bõ̞ɲ̟ɲ̟ĩɴ]

Noun

凡人 (hiragana ぼんにん, rōmaji bonnin)

1. an ordinary person
2. a commoner, someone who is not nobility

Usage notes

This reading appears to be somewhat less common than bonjin below.

The ordinary sense of this term is somewhat negative, with overtones of mediocre, unremarkable, lackluster.

Synonyms

• (ordinary person): 凡 (ぼん)人 (じん) (bonjin) (see below); 凡 (ぼん)夫 (ぶ) (bonbu) (Buddhist overtones; used more in writing)
• (commoner): 平 (へい)民 (みん) (heimin): a commoner; 臣 (しん)下 (か) (shinka): a commoner, a subject

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
凡	人
ぼん Grade: S	じん Grade: 1
on’yomi

Shift in pronunciation from bonnin above, using the kan'on reading of jin for 人.

Pronunciation

• On’yomi
  • (Tokyo) ぼんじん [bòńjíń] (Heiban – [0])
  • IPA^(key): [bõ̞ɲ̟d͡ʑĩɴ]

Noun

凡人 (hiragana ぼんじん, rōmaji bonjin)

1. an ordinary person
2. a commoner, someone who is not nobility

Usage notes

This appears to be the more common reading.

The ordinary sense of this term is somewhat negative, with overtones of mediocre, unremarkable, lackluster.

Synonyms

• (ordinary person): 凡 (ぼん)人 (にん) (bonnin) (see above); 凡 (ぼん)夫 (ぶ) (bonbu) (Buddhist overtones; used more in writing)
• (commoner): 平 (へい)民 (みん) (heimin): a commoner; 臣 (しん)下 (か) (shinka): a commoner, a subject

Antonyms

• (ordinary person): 偉 (い)人 (じん) (ijin): a magnificent person

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
凡	人
はん Grade: S	じん Grade: 1
on’yomi

Shift in pronunciation from bonnin or bonjin above, using the kan'on reading for both characters.

This reading appears in use by the 有職家 (yūsokuka, “people well acquainted with the rites and ceremonies of the imperial court and nobility”).

Pronunciation

• On’yomi: Kan’on
  • IPA^(key): [hã̠ɲ̟d͡ʑĩɴ]

Noun

凡人 (hiragana はんじん, rōmaji hanjin)

1. (rare, possibly obsolete) an ordinary person, a commoner

Usage notes

The hanjin reading is the least common.