普

pǔ

並 + 日

Definitions

pǔ (adjective) general; universal

pǔ (adjective) everywhere; widespread

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 日 represents the meaning and 並 represents the sound.

About

普 is a phonosemantic compound where 日 'sun' indicates the semantic field and 並 (later written 竝, now simplified to 并) provides the sound. In historical variants, 日 could appear at the top or bottom; the modern form places it above 并. The original notion of sunlight spreading everywhere equally gave rise to the meanings 'universal, general, widespread, common', often used in terms related to popularization or standardization.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

这是一个普通的日子。

Zhè shì yīgè pǔtōng de rìzi.

This is an ordinary day.

他说普通话很流利。

Tā shuō pǔtōnghuà hěn liúlì.

He speaks Mandarin fluently.

互联网已经普及全球。

Hùliánwǎng yǐjīng pǔjí quánqiú.

The internet has become widespread globally.

政府正在进行人口普查。

Zhèngfǔ zhèngzài jìnxíng rénkǒu pǔchá.

The government is conducting a population census.

虽然看起来很普通，但味道很好。

Suīrán kàn qǐlái hěn pǔtōng, dàn wèidao hěn hǎo.

Although it looks ordinary, it tastes very good.

爱是一种普世的情感。

Ài shì yī zhǒng pǔshì de qínggǎn.

Love is a universal emotion.

普及教育对发展至关重要。

Pǔjí jiàoyù duì fāzhǎn zhìguān zhòngyào.

Popularizing education is crucial for development.

通过普及普通话，促进了普通民众的交流。

Tōngguò pǔjí pǔtōnghuà, cùjìnle pǔtōng mínzhòng de jiāoliú.

By popularizing Mandarin, it has promoted communication among ordinary people.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

Component: 並

Component: 日

普