经常 and 平常

[murrayjames]

What is the difference between 经常 and 平常? I often get corrected by Chinese speakers for saying one when I mean the other.

[semantic nuance]

A quick answer to your question,

經常 means 'often'. It refers to 'times' (frequency)

平常 means 'normally', 'at the usual time, not any particular time'. It may refer to 'time' .

For examples:

1. 我經常走路去上學。 I often walk to school.

2. 我平常都是走路去上學，但是今天我趕時間，所以我坐車去上學。Normally (Ususally), I walk to school, but today I'm in a rush, so I take the bus.

Hope it helps!

[Kiz]

Agree with semantic nuance's accurate explaination.

[Sarevok]

What about 通常? I understand it to be pretty much interchangeable with 平常, is that correct?

[skylee]

Let me throw in one more - 尋常 as in 當時只道是尋常. What about it?

[Kiz]

@Sarevok

It's different. The meaning may be according. But most of time 通常 can not be used to replace 平常. When 通常 is used in one sentence, there must be some other context relate to it. Here is some examples.

我通常喜欢吃甜食，但最近想减肥，不吃了。 in this case, we can replace 通常 with 平常.

我平常喜欢看电影。 In this single sentence, we can not replace 平常 with 通常, or it may sound a little weird, like 我通常喜欢看电影. If you say this to others, they may wonder "yeah, you usually like watching movies, then what?". People may find your words incomplete.

That's my opinion. Hope it helps.~~