每天成语
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家常便饭

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: jiā cháng biàn fàn
  • English Translation: Home-cooked meal (a commonplace occurrence)
  • Idiom Composition: 「家」（Home or family）＋「常」（Ordinary, frequent, or daily）＋「便」（Simple, informal, or convenient）＋「饭」（Meal or food）
  • Meaning: Originally referring to a simple, everyday meal prepared at home, this idiom is now primarily used as a metaphor for something that happens so frequently it is no longer surprising or remarkable.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「家常便饭」 contains the following nuances:

  • Figurative Usage (Commonplace): In modern Chinese, this idiom is overwhelmingly used as a metaphor. It suggests that an event occurs with the same frequency and lack of fanfare as one's daily meals at home.
  • Literal Meaning (Home Cooking): It can still refer literally to simple, non-extravagant food. This is often used to contrast home cooking with restaurant food or to show modesty when hosting guests.

3. Usage

「家常便饭」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Describing frequent occurrences: Used to describe situations like overtime, traffic, or minor failures that might be unpleasant but are so frequent that one is used to them.
    • Example:「对于程序员来说，加班熬夜已经是家常便饭了。」
      （For programmers, working overtime and staying up all night is already par for the course.)
  • Humility and hospitality: Used when inviting guests to eat, expressing humility by suggesting the meal is nothing special, just ordinary food.
    • Example:「没什么好招待的，就是一顿家常便饭，请别介意。」
      （I have nothing special to treat you with, it's just a simple home-cooked meal, so please don't mind.)
  • Habituation to an environment: Emphasizes that something which might surprise an outsider is perfectly normal for those within a specific environment or profession.
    • Example:「在这个地区，停电是家常便饭，大家都习惯了。」
      （In this region, power outages are a common occurrence, and everyone has grown used to them.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 他在大城市生活，堵车对他来说早已是家常便饭。
    （Living in a big city, traffic jams have long been a routine part of life for him.）
  2. 这种小感冒是家常便饭，多喝点水就好了。
    （A minor cold like this is nothing unusual; just drink plenty of water and you'll be fine.）
  3. 虽然只是家常便饭，但妈妈做的味道总是最好的。
    （Although it's just a simple home meal, the taste of mom's cooking is always the best.）
  4. 面对客户的刁难，这位资深销售早已视作家常便饭。
    （Facing unreasonable demands from clients, this veteran salesman has long regarded it as all in a day's work.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Origin: The phrase is associated with the Song Dynasty (宋朝) text He Lin Yu Lu (鹤林玉露), which contains the sentiment that 'ordinary official posts are easy to hold, and home-cooked food is good to eat.'
  • Nuance: It is often used with a sense of stoicism or self-deprecation, especially when describing negative things like working late or facing difficulties that have become routine.
  • Comparison: While 司空见惯 (sī kōng jiàn guàn) also means 'commonplace,' it is more formal and emphasizes the visual aspect of being 'used to seeing' something. 家常便饭 (jiā cháng biàn fàn) is more colloquial and carries a stronger sense of daily life.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

家常便饭 (jiā cháng biàn fàn) literally translates to "home-style simple food." In modern Chinese, it is a highly versatile colloquial expression used to describe events—often minor hardships, chores, or routine tasks—that have become a regular, expected part of one's life.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

jiā cháng biàn fàn
家常便饭
A Common Occurrence
yǒu xiē有些cí词，guāng shì光是tīng qǐ lái听起来，jiù就yǒu有yī zhǒng一种hěn很fàng sōng放松、hěn很shēng huó huà生活化de的yān huǒ qì烟火气。

Some words, just by the sound of them, carry a relaxed and down-to-earth atmosphere of daily life.

bǐ rú比如jīn tiān今天yào要liáo聊de的zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语：“jiā cháng biàn fàn家常便饭”。

For example, the idiom we are talking about today: 家常便饭.

cóng从zì miàn字面shàng上kàn看，tā它de的yì si意思fēi cháng非常jiǎn dān简单。

Literally, its meaning is very simple.

“jiā cháng家常”，jiù shì就是jiā tíng家庭rì cháng日常；“biàn fàn便饭”，jiù shì就是jiǎn dān简单、suí yì随意de的fàn cài饭菜。

家常 means family daily life; 便饭 means a simple, casual meal.

zài在zhè ge这个shì jiè世界shàng上，wǒ men我们kě néng可能huì会wèi le为了qìng zhù庆祝jié rì节日qù去chī吃dà cān大餐，wèi le为了mǒu zhǒng某种yí shì仪式gǎn感qù去chī吃áng guì昂贵de的liào lǐ料理。

In this world, we might eat a feast to celebrate a holiday or expensive cuisine for a sense of ritual.

dàn但zhēn zhèng真正péi bàn陪伴wǒ men我们měi每yī tiān一天de的，wǎng wǎng往往shì是nà那yī wǎn一碗zuì最pǔ tōng普通de的miàn tiáo面条，huò zhě或者yī dùn一顿zuì最jiǎn dān简单de的rè热cài菜。

But what truly accompanies us every day is often that bowl of ordinary noodles or the simplest hot dish.

zhè这jiù shì就是“jiā cháng biàn fàn家常便饭”zuì chū最初de的yàng zi样子：tā它bù不lóng zhòng隆重，bù不xī qí稀奇，dàn shì但是tā它shì是shēng huó生活zuì最yuán běn原本de的dǐ sè底色。

This is the original form of 家常便饭: it is not grand or rare, but it is the original color of life.

bù guò不过，zài在xiàn dài现代zhōng wén中文de的kǒu yǔ口语lǐ里，dāng当wǒ men我们tí dào提到“jiā cháng biàn fàn家常便饭”shí时，wǎng wǎng往往bìng并bú shì不是zài在tǎo lùn讨论chī吃shén me什么。

However, in modern spoken Chinese, when we mention 家常便饭, we are often not discussing what to eat.

wǒ men我们shì是yòng用tā它lái来xíng róng形容——mǒu某jiàn件shì qíng事情fā shēng发生de的pín lǜ频率shí zài实在tài太gāo高le了，gāo高dào到wǒ men我们yǐ jīng已经xiàng像duì dài对待yī rì sān cān一日三餐nà yàng那样，jué de觉得tā它háo wú毫无xīn yì新意，shèn zhì甚至yǐ jīng已经xí guàn习惯le了。

We use it to describe how the frequency of something happening is so high that we treat it like our daily meals, finding it unoriginal or even becoming used to it.

zhè这shì是yī zhǒng一种hěn很yǒu yì si有意思de的xīn lǐ心理zhuǎn huàn转换。

This is a very interesting psychological shift.

shì xiǎng试想yī xià一下，rú guǒ如果yī jiàn一件shì qíng事情dì yī cì第一次fā shēng发生，nǐ你kě néng可能huì会jīng yà惊讶、huì会shēng qì生气，huò zhě或者huì会jué de觉得hěn很tè bié特别。

Imagine if something happens for the first time; you might be surprised, angry, or feel it is very special.

dàn但rú guǒ如果zhè这jiàn shì件事fā shēng发生le了shí cì十次、yì bǎi cì一百次ne呢？

But what if this thing happens ten or a hundred times?

nà zhǒng那种jīng yà惊讶de的gǎn jué感觉jiù就huì会xiāo shī消失。

That feeling of surprise will disappear.

tā它biàn dé变得xiàng像chī fàn吃饭yī yàng一样，chéng wéi成为le了nǐ你shēng huó生活guī lǜ规律de的yī bù fèn一部分。

It becomes like eating, a part of your life routine.

wǒ men我们jīng cháng经常zài在liǎng两zhǒng种qíng xù情绪xià下shǐ yòng使用zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语。

We often use this idiom under two types of emotions.

dì yī zhǒng第一种qíng xù情绪，dài带zhe着yì diǎn diǎn一点点wú nài无奈de的“zì cháo自嘲”。

The first emotion carries a bit of helpless self-mockery.

bǐ rú比如，xiàn zài现在de的nián qīng rén年轻人gōng zuò工作hěn很máng忙。

For example, young people today are very busy with work.

rú guǒ如果péng yǒu朋友wèn问nǐ你：“zuì jìn最近zěn me怎么zǒng shì总是jiā bān加班dào到zhè me这么wǎn晚？”

If a friend asks you: "Why are you always working overtime so late lately?"

nǐ你kě néng可能huì会tàn叹yì kǒu qì一口气，xiào笑zhe着shuō说：“méi bàn fǎ没办法，jiā bān加班duì对wǒ men我们gōng sī公司de的rén人lái来shuō说，yǐ jīng已经shì是jiā cháng biàn fàn家常便饭le了。”

You might sigh and say with a smile: "There's no way around it; working overtime is already 家常便饭 for people in our company."

zài在zhè lǐ这里，nǐ你bú shì不是zài在shuō说jiā bān加班hěn很kāi xīn开心，ér shì而是zài在shuō说：zhè这jiàn件shì事yǐ jīng已经pǔ biàn普遍dào到wǒ我bù不jué de觉得qí guài奇怪le了，wǒ我yǐ jīng已经jiē shòu接受le了zhè ge这个shè dìng设定。

Here, you aren't saying working overtime is happy, but rather: this has become so common that I don't find it strange anymore; I've accepted this setting.

dì èr zhǒng第二种qíng xù情绪，zé则shì是yī zhǒng一种“dàn dìng淡定”hé和“cóng róng从容”。

The second emotion is a kind of calmness and composure.

xiǎng xiàng想象yī wèi一位fēi cháng非常yǒu有jīng yàn经验de的wài kē yī shēng外科医生。

Imagine a very experienced surgeon.

duì yú对于bìng rén病人lái来shuō说，yī cháng一场shǒu shù手术shì是jīng xīn dòng pò惊心动魄de的dà shì大事；dàn但duì yú对于zhè wèi这位yī shēng医生lái来shuō说，chǔ lǐ处理zhè yàng这样de的wēi jī危机，kě néng可能zhǐ shì只是tā他měi tiān每天gōng zuò工作de的yī bù fèn一部分。

For a patient, an operation is a soul-stirring major event; but for this doctor, handling such a crisis might just be part of his daily work.

zhè shí hòu这时候，wǒ men我们yě也kě yǐ可以shuō说：“chǔ lǐ处理zhè zhǒng这种jǐn jí紧急qíng kuàng情况，duì对tā他lái shuō来说zhǐ shì只是jiā cháng biàn fàn家常便饭。”

At this time, we can also say: "Handling this kind of emergency is just 家常便饭 for him."

zài在zhè lǐ这里，tā它dài biǎo代表le了yī zhǒng一种yīn wèi因为jí qí极其shú liàn熟练，suǒ yǐ所以bù zài不再huāng zhāng慌张de的zhuàng tài状态。

Here, it represents a state of no longer being flustered because of extreme proficiency.

suǒ yǐ所以，“jiā cháng biàn fàn家常便饭”zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语de的hé xīn核心，bù不zài yú在于“fàn饭”，ér而zài yú在于“cháng常”。

Therefore, the core of the idiom 家常便饭 lies not in 饭, but in 常.

tā它tí xǐng提醒wǒ men我们，rén lèi人类de的shì yìng néng lì适应能力shì是hěn很qiáng强de的。

It reminds us that human adaptability is very strong.

wú lùn无论shì是hǎo好de的xí guàn习惯，hái shì还是huài坏de的yā lì压力，zhǐ yào只要tā它chóng fù重复dé得zú gòu足够duō多，jiù就huì会cóng从“yì wài意外”biàn chéng变成“rì cháng日常”。

Whether it is a good habit or bad pressure, as long as it repeats enough, it will turn from an "accident" into "daily life."

xià cì下次，dāng当nǐ你fā xiàn发现mǒu xiē某些běn lái本来yīng gāi应该hěn很tè bié特别、huò zhě或者hěn很má fán麻烦de的shì qíng事情，biàn dé变得bù zài不再néng能yǐn qǐ引起nǐ你de的qíng xù情绪bō dòng波动shí时，nǐ你jiù就kě yǐ可以yòng用zhè ge这个cí词lái来xíng róng形容tā它。

Next time, when you find that something which should have been special or troublesome no longer causes emotional fluctuations, you can use this word to describe it.

yīn wèi因为nà那yī kè一刻，zhè jiàn这件shì事zài在nǐ你yǎn lǐ眼里，yǐ jīng已经biàn dé变得xiàng像měi tiān每天de的yī dùn一顿jiǎn cān简餐yī yàng一样，píng píng dàn dàn平平淡淡，bù zú wéi qí不足为奇le了。

Because at that moment, in your eyes, this matter has become like a simple daily meal, plain and unremarkable.

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