ordinary · employ

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 庸 has 11 strokes and the on-reading よう. 凡庸 (ぼんよう) and 中庸 (ちゅうよう) share this reading but have different meanings as whole words.
• Basic usage: 凡庸 describes being ordinary or unremarkable; 中庸 refers to moderation rather than leaning toward an extreme.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Mediocrity and moderation
  • 凡庸な作品 describes an unremarkable work. 少し凡庸に感じられました evaluates a proposal as seeming somewhat ordinary.
  • 中庸を保つ means to maintain moderation. The example with 極端を避けて focuses on avoiding extremes.