The word 常识 (chángshí), meaning "common sense", is a compound formed through the combination of two meaningful characters: 常 (cháng), which conveys the idea of "common", "constant", or "ordinary", and 识 (shí), which means "knowledge", "awareness", or "to recognize". Together, they create a new, integrated concept where the first character modifies the second; it is not merely "constant knowledge" but specifically denotes the practical, everyday knowledge that is generally held by ordinary people and considered fundamental to societal functioning. This formation exemplifies a common Chinese word-construction method where two independent morphemes are joined to express an abstract idea that is more specific than the sum of its parts.