The Chinese word **平庸** (píngyōng), meaning "mediocre" or "ordinary," is a compound formed by combining two synonymous characters to reinforce a shared concept. The first character, **平** (píng), originally depicts a balanced scale and carries meanings of "level," "even," or "ordinary." The second character, **庸** (yōng), in its classical sense means "to use," but through extended meaning evolved to signify "commonplace," "unremarkable," or "inferior." When paired, these two morphemes create a binome where their meanings overlap and intensify to describe a state of being utterly average, lacking in distinction or excellence.