The word 平时 is formed by combining two independent characters, each with its own core meaning, to create a new, composite concept. The first character, 平 (píng), carries the fundamental idea of "level", "even", or "ordinary". The second character, 时 (shí), means "time" or "season". Their combination is not merely additive but conceptual, fusing the notion of "ordinary" with "time" to conceptually denote "ordinary time" or "the usual course of time", effectively meaning the regular, uneventful periods as opposed to special occasions or emergencies.