ChinesePod

1 three principles and five virtues (idiom)
2 the three rules (ruler guides subject, father guides son and husband guides wife) and five constant virtues of Confucianism (benevolence 仁, righteousness 義|义, propriety 禮|礼, wisdom 智 and fidelity 信)

人之常情

rén zhī cháng qíng

1 human nature (idiom)
2 a behavior that is only natural

兵家常事

bīng jiā cháng shì

1 commonplace in military operations (idiom)

千里马常有，而伯乐不常有

qiān lǐ mǎ cháng yǒu , ér Bó Lè bù cháng yǒu

1 lit. there are many swift horses, but very few who can spot them (idiom)
2 fig. many have talent, but few can recognize talent when they see it

Sample Sentences

一打啤酒对俄罗斯人来说只是小意思，这是大家都知道的常识。但是你知道吗？俄罗斯人喝啤酒，有一个潜规则，他们如果找你喝酒，绝对不能拒绝。

yīdá píjiǔ duì Éluósī rén láishuō zhǐshì xiǎoyìsi ，zhèshì dàjiā dōu zhīdào de chángshí 。dànshì nǐ zhīdào ma ？Éluósī rén hē píjiǔ ，yǒu yīgē qiánguīzé ，tāmen rúguǒ zhǎo nǐ hējiǔ ，juéduì bùnéng jùjué 。

A dozen of beers is a piece of cake for Russian, which is common sense that everyone knows. But you know that? Russians have a hidden rule when it comes to drinking beers, that is, if they invite you for a drink, you can’t say no.

Go to Lesson

怎么连这点常识都没有！不过我最近看了好多更傻的人的视频。跟他们比，法国人可是小巫见大巫。

zěnme lián zhèdiǎn chángshí dōu méiyǒu ！bùguò wǒ zuìjìn kàn le hǎo duō gèng shǎ de rén de shìpín 。gēn tāmen bǐ ，fǎguórén kěshì xiǎowū jiàn dàwū 。

How can someone be lacking even this bit of common sense? But lately I've seen a lot of videos of even stupider people. Compared to them, the French are pupils in the presence of a master.

Go to Lesson

不过有些人的确缺乏常识。中国不还有个参加歌唱比赛的人连国旗都不认识吗。

bùguò yǒuxiē rén díquè quēfá chángshí 。Zhōngguó bù hái yǒu ge cānjiā gēchàng bǐsài de rén lián guóqí dōu bù rènshi ma 。

But some people really are short of common sense. So many programs let common people go on TV. With a bit of carelessness, you can reveal your ignorance to the world. Then there are meddlesome people who will put these things online and let the entire world see how stupid you are.

Go to Lesson

飞机起飞时应该打开遮光板嘛，这是基本常识好不好？还有你这座椅靠背也得给调直了，手机还有平板电脑都得关起来，还不能用飞行模式的。

fēijī qǐfēi shí yīnggāi dǎkāi zhēguāngbǎn ma ，zhè shì jīběn chángshí hǎobuhǎo ？háiyǒu nǐ zhè zuòyǐ kàobèi yě děi gěi tiáo zhí le ，shǒujī háiyǒu píngbǎn diànnǎo dōu děi guān qilai ，hái bùnéng yòng fēixíng móshì de 。

When the airplane is taking off you have to open the shade. Isn’t that basic common sense? And you have to adjust the seatback so it is upright, as well as turning off your mobile phone and tablet computer. You can’t yet use airplane mode.

Go to Lesson

还算有点常识呀你，狭义相对论是爱因斯坦在广义相对论发现前十年制定的，当时已令人震惊地揭示了时间的流逝并非绝对，但与牛顿在1687年所阐述的经典引力定律，在许多方面都不一致。

hái suàn yǒudiǎnr chángshí ya nǐ ，xiáyì xiāngduìlùn shì Àiyīnsītǎn zài guǎngyì xiāngduìlùn fāxiàn qián shínián zhìdìng de ，dāngshí yǐ lìng rén zhènjīng de jiēshì le shíjiān de liúshì bìngfēi juéduì ，dàn yǔ Niúdùn zài 1687 nián suǒ chǎnshù de jīngdiǎn yǐnlì dìnglǜ ，zài xǔduō fāngmiàn dōu bù yīzhì 。

So you do have some general knowledge. Special relativity was defined by Einstein ten years before he came to the theory of general relativity. At that time, he'd already revealed to everyone's surprise that the flow of time was not absolute, but it was also not entirely the same as the classic laws of gravitation which he described in 1687, in many aspects.

Go to Lesson

有常识的人都知道，物质基础不是决定人思想素质的唯一因素，父母的言传身教以及个人后天的自我修养更是关键。

yǒu chángshí de rén dōu zhīdào ，wùzhì jīchǔ bùshì juédìng rén sīxiǎng sùzhì de wéiyī yīnsù ，fùmǔ de yánchuán shēnjiào yǐjí gèrén hòutiān de zìwǒ xiūyǎng gèng shì guānjiàn 。

It's commonly understood that material things don't decide a person's ability to think. Parents teach by example and self-cultivation is also key.

Go to Lesson

最后起名字要遵守一些常识，第一，忌讳祖先和先贤的名字；其次，不用生冷字；再次，少用多音字；最后，忌不雅的谐音。

zuìhòu qǐ míngzì yào zūnshǒu yīxiē chángshí ，dì yī ，jìhuì zǔxiān hé xiānxián de míngzi ；qícì ，bùyòng shēnglěngzì ；zàicì ，shǎo yòng duōyīnzì ；zuìhòu ，jì bùyā de xiéyīn 。

Finally when figuring out a name you need to respect some common principles. First of all, avoid using taboo names, like those of your ancestors or distinguished sages from the past; secondly, don't use obscure characters; additionally, don't use characters with more than one pronunciation; and finally, avoid homophones of vulgar words.

Go to Lesson

在以前的中国农村社会中，古人都有很多的常识，比如说他们知道太阳什么时候升起、知道怎么种稻、知道风什么时候开始吹。

zài yǐqián de Zhōngguó nóngcūn shèhuì zhōng ，gǔrén dōu yǒu hěnduō de chángshí ，bǐrú shuō tāmen zhīdào tàiyang shénme shíhou shēngqǐ 、zhīdào zěnme zhòng dào 、zhīdào fēng shénme shíhou kāishǐ chuī 。

In Chinese rural societies in the past, the ancients had a lot of common sense. They know, for example, when the sun rises, how to grow rice, or even when the wind blows.

Go to Lesson

这一句话你可以拿来形容一个人有常识，你也可以拿这一句话来骂一个人没常识。

zhè yī jù huà nǐ kěyǐ ná lái xíngróng yī ge rén yǒu chángshí ，nǐ yě kěyǐ ná zhè yī jù huà lái mà yī ge rén méi chángshí 。

You can use this proverb to describe someone who has common sense or scold someone without common sense.

Go to Lesson

在面试的时候，你可能对营销有一些常识，你可以说：“虽然我没吃过猪肉，但见过猪跑。营销的工作我没做过，但是我还是懂一些。”

zài miànshì de shíhou ，nǐ kěnéng duì yíngxiāo yǒu yīxiē chángshí ，nǐ kěyǐ shuō ：“suīrán wǒ méi chī guò zhūròu ，dàn jiàn guò zhū pǎo 。yíngxiāo de gōngzuò wǒ méi zuò guò ，dànshì wǒ háishi dǒng yīxiē 。”

When you are in an interview. You might have some common sense on marketing. You might say, 'Although I have never eaten pork, at least, I have seen pigs running. I haven't worked in marketing before, but at least I have some basic knowledge of marketing.'

Go to Lesson