司空见惯

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

1. Basic Information

Pinyin: sī kōng jiàn guàn
English Translation: A common sight / Commonplace (literally: 'The Minister of Works is used to seeing it')
Idiom Composition: 「司空」（Sikong (司空), an ancient high-ranking government title (Minister of Works); here referring to a specific official.）＋「见」（To see or witness.）＋「惯」（To be used to or accustomed to.）
Meaning: A situation or phenomenon that is seen so often that it is no longer considered strange or special; to be a common sight.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「司空见惯」 contains the following nuances:

Psychological Habituation: The idiom implies a state of being 'numb' to a situation. It's not just that the event happens often, but that the observer no longer reacts with surprise or interest because they have seen it so many times.
Neutral vs. Critical Tone: While it can be used neutrally for daily routines, it often carries a critical tone when describing negative social trends or bad habits that have become 'normalized' in a specific environment.

3. Usage

「司空见惯」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

Social Phenomena: Used to describe phenomena that occur frequently in society to the point where people no longer pay attention to them.
- Example:「这种网络诈骗手段已经司空见惯，但还是有人上当。」
  （This type of online scam is already a common sight, yet people still fall for it.）
Daily Scenes: Used in specific environments or professions where something that might surprise an outsider is a daily routine for insiders.
- Example:「对于急诊室的医生来说，这种紧张的场面早已司空见惯。」
  （For ER doctors, such intense scenes are all in a day's work.）
Criticizing Bad Habits: Used to point out negative behaviors that should not happen but have unfortunately become normalized.
- Example:「随地乱扔垃圾的现象在某些景区似乎已司空见惯。」
  （Littering seems to have become commonplace in some scenic areas.）

Additional Examples:

现在的孩子玩智能手机已经是司空见惯的事情了。
（It is already commonplace for today's children to play with smartphones.）
他对这种不公平的待遇早已司空见惯，不再抱怨了。
（He has long been accustomed to this unfair treatment and no longer complains.）
这种加班文化在这个行业里司空见惯。
（This kind of overtime culture is par for the course in this industry.）
起初我觉得很奇怪，但住久了也就司空见惯了。
（At first I found it strange, but after living here for a long time, I've become used to it.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

Origin: This idiom comes from a poem by the Tang Dynasty (唐朝) poet Liu Yuxi (刘禹锡). He was invited to a lavish banquet by his friend Li Shen (李绅), who held the high-ranking position of Sikong (司空) (Minister of Works).
The Story: During the feast, Liu Yuxi (刘禹锡) was struck by the beauty of the dancers and the extravagance of the event. He wrote a poem noting that while these sights were amazing to him, the Sikong (司空) (referring to Li Shen) was **used to seeing them** (司空见惯).
Modern Usage: Over time, the meaning shifted from 'being used to luxury' to describing anything that is no longer surprising due to its frequency. Note that while it means 'to be used to,' the subject is usually the phenomenon itself, or used in the pattern 'Person + 对 (duì) + Phenomenon + 司空见惯'.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

Similar Idioms:
- 屡见不鲜 (lǚ jiàn bù xiān): Commonly seen and not new. Similar to 司空见惯 (sī kōng jiàn guàn), but focuses more on the high frequency of occurrence.
- 习以为常 (xí yǐ wéi cháng): To be accustomed to something and treat it as normal. Emphasizes the subjective habit of the person.
- 不足为怪 (bù zú wéi guài): Not worth being surprised at.link
- 家常便饭 (jiā cháng biàn fàn): Something common or usual.link
Opposite Idioms:
- 少见多怪 (shǎo jiàn duō guài): To be surprised by common things due to lack of experience; literally 'to see little and wonder much'.
- 千载难逢 (qiān zǎi nán féng): Extremely rare; an opportunity that occurs only once in a thousand years.
- 大惊小怪 (dà jīng xiǎo guài): To make a fuss over a trivial matter.link
- 不同寻常 (bù tóng xún cháng): Unusual or out of the ordinary.link

6. Summary

司空见惯 (sī kōng jiàn guàn) is used to describe things that have become **commonplace** or **everyday occurrences**. While something might have been remarkable at first, its high frequency has made it a familiar sight. It can be used neutrally for natural phenomena or critically for bad habits that have become normalized.