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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:

  1. 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.）
  2. 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.）
  3. 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.）
  4. 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

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.

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

Idiom Essay

sī kōng jiàn guàn
司空见惯
Commonplace
shēng huó生活zhōng中，yǒu有yī zhǒng一种xīn lǐ心理xiàn xiàng现象hěn很yǒu qù有趣。

In life, there is an interesting psychological phenomenon.

dāng当yī jiàn一件qí guài奇怪de的shì qíng事情dì yī cì第一次fā shēng发生shí时，wǒ men我们huì会jīng yà惊讶，huì会tǎo lùn讨论。

When a strange thing happens for the first time, we feel surprised and discuss it.

kě shì可是，rú guǒ如果zhè这jiàn件shì qíng事情tiān tiān天天fā shēng发生，chóng fù重复le了yì bǎi cì一百次、yī qiān cì一千次，wǒ men我们jiù就huì会màn màn慢慢shī qù失去gǎn jué感觉，shèn zhì甚至lián连kàn看dōu都lǎn de懒得kàn看yī yǎn一眼。

However, if this thing happens every day, repeating a hundred or a thousand times, we gradually lose feeling and even lose interest in looking at it.

zhōng wén中文lǐ里，yǒu有yí gè一个chéng yǔ成语zhuān mén专门xíng róng形容zhè zhǒng这种zhuàng tài状态，jiào叫“sī kōng jiàn guàn司空见惯”。

In Chinese, there is an idiom specifically used to describe this state, called 司空见惯.

zhè ge这个cí词tīng qǐ lái听起来yǒu diǎn有点gǔ lǎo古老。

This term sounds a bit ancient.

“sī kōng司空”，qí shí其实shì是zhōng guó中国gǔ dài古代de的yí gè一个guān zhí官职；ér而“jiàn guàn见惯”，jiù shì就是kàn看duō多le了、xí guàn习惯le了。

司空 was actually an official position in ancient China, while 见惯 means having seen something many times and becoming used to it.

lián连qǐ lái起来de的yì si意思shì是：duì yú对于xiàng像sī kōng司空zhè yàng这样de的gāo guān高官lái来shuō说，mǒu xiē某些kàn qǐ lái看起来hěn很pū zhāng铺张、hěn很tè bié特别de的chǎng miàn场面，tā他yǐ jīng已经kàn看tài太duō多le了，wán quán完全bù不jué de觉得yǒu有shén me什么xī qí稀奇。

The combined meaning is: for a high official like a 司空, certain scenes that seem very extravagant or special are things he has seen too much of and does not find strange at all.

xiàn zài现在，wǒ men我们yòng用tā它lái来xíng róng形容nà xiē那些yīn wèi因为tài太cháng jiàn常见，ér而bèi被wǒ men我们dàng chéng当成“lǐ suǒ dāng rán理所当然”de的shì qíng事情。

Now, we use it to describe things that are taken for granted because they are so common.

bǐ rú比如，zǎo gāo fēng早高峰de的dì tiě地铁shàng上，suǒ yǒu rén所有人dōu都zài在dī tóu低头kàn看shǒu jī手机，méi yǒu没有rén人hù xiāng互相jiāo liú交流。

For example, on the subway during the morning rush hour, everyone is looking down at their phones, and no one communicates with each other.

zhè这qí shí其实shì是yī zhǒng一种hěn很lěng mò冷漠de的xiàn xiàng现象，dàn但yīn wèi因为měi tiān每天dōu都zài在fā shēng发生，dà jiā大家dōu都yǐ jīng已经“sī kōng jiàn guàn司空见惯”le了。

This is actually a very cold phenomenon, but because it happens every day, everyone has become 司空见惯.

yòu又bǐ rú比如，chéng shì城市lǐ里de的dǔ chē堵车。

Another example is traffic jams in the city.

gāng刚kāi shǐ开始nǐ你huì会shēng qì生气，dàn但hòu lái后来nǐ你fā xiàn发现měi tiān每天dōu都dǔ堵，yě也jiù就“sī kōng jiàn guàn司空见惯”，shèn zhì甚至bǎ把tā它dàng chéng当成le了shēng huó生活de的yī bù fèn一部分。

At first you might get angry, but later you find that it is jammed every day, so you become 司空见惯 and even treat it as a part of life.

zhí de值得zhù yì注意de的shì是，dāng当wǒ men我们shuō说mǒu某jiàn件shì事“sī kōng jiàn guàn司空见惯”shí时，wǎng wǎng往往dài带zhe着yì diǎn一点fù zá复杂de的yì wèi意味。

It is worth noting that when we say something is 司空见惯, it often carries a bit of a complex meaning.

tā它bù不yí dìng一定dài biǎo代表zhè这jiàn件shì事shì是duì对de的，huò zhě或者hé lǐ合理de的。

It does not necessarily mean that this thing is right or reasonable.

tā它zhǐ shì只是zài在shuō说：yīn wèi因为shù liàng数量tài太duō多，wǒ men我们yǐ jīng已经tíng zhǐ停止le了jīng yà惊讶，yě也tíng zhǐ停止le了sī kǎo思考。

It just says: because the quantity is so large, we have stopped being surprised and stopped thinking.

suǒ yǐ所以，xià cì下次dāng当nǐ你fā xiàn发现zì jǐ自己duì对zhōu wéi周围de的yī xiē一些xiàn xiàng现象háo wú毫无fǎn yìng反应shí时，bù fáng不妨wèn wèn问问zì jǐ自己：zhè这jiàn件shì事zhēn de真的hěn很zhèng cháng正常ma吗？

So, next time you find yourself having no reaction to some phenomena around you, you might as well ask yourself: is this thing really normal?

hái shì还是shuō说，wǒ我zhǐ shì只是duì对tā它“sī kōng jiàn guàn司空见惯”le了？

Or is it just that I have become 司空见惯?

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