庸 yōng — common, use · English

庸

yōng

common, use

At a glance · 庸

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从用庚声，形声字，本指用、常（经久可用），引申为平庸。隶楷作「庸」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「庸」本指任用、平常，引申为平凡、岂（反问）。

Structure

形声字，用为意符，庚为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinyōng

Radical广

Strokes11

UnicodeU+5EB8

Character type形声

Theme德行

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English common, use Common, mediocre; to use; how could.

Français commun, user Commun, médiocre; user; comment.

Español común, usar Común, mediocre; usar; cómo.

العربية عادي، يستعمل عادي أو يستعمل أو كيف.

Русский обычный, посредственный Обычный, заурядный; употреблять; разве.

Common words

平庸píng yōngmediocre
庸yōngcommon

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