约定俗成

yuē dìng sú chéng

HSK 7–9

Meaning

指某种事物的名称或社会习惯是由人们通过长期实践而认定或形成的。

established by usage; accepted through common practice.

常用于描述传统、习惯、规则等非明文规定但被广泛接受的事物。

Often used to describe traditions, customs, or rules that are not explicitly stated but widely accepted through common practice.

1 这些礼仪是约定俗成的，无需明文规定。 (These etiquettes are established by usage and need no explicit rules.)
2 “先生”这个称呼在现代汉语中是约定俗成的。 (The term 'Mr.' in modern Chinese is accepted through common practice.)
3 许多成语的意义都是约定俗成的，不能望文生义。 (The meanings of many idioms are established by usage and cannot be interpreted literally.)
4 这个规矩是约定俗成的，大家都要遵守。 (This rule is accepted through common practice, and everyone must follow it.)
5 在中文里，语序有一定的约定俗成，比如“吃饭”不能说成“饭吃”。 (In Chinese, word order has certain conventions established by usage, for example, '吃饭' cannot be said as '饭吃'.)

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