平淡 píngdàn flat
flat; dull; ordinary; nothing special
How to remember 平淡: 平 level + 淡 watery = flat.
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How it is used
- Bland, uneventful, without highs or lows - 生活平淡 (shēnghuó píngdàn) life is flat and uneventful; 味道平淡 (wèidào píngdàn) the flavor is bland.
- Often neutral-to-positive when describing a settled, peaceful life: 平平淡淡才是真 (píngpíngdàndàn cái shì zhēn) an ordinary life is the real thing.
- Contrast 平庸, which is critical (mediocre); 平淡 is just 'unremarkable/mild', not a put-down.