凡 (fán)

ordinary; commonplace; mundane; temporal; of the material world (as op

Etymology

Depicts a wide and flat object such as a tray or plate, now written as 槃. The current meaning is a phonetic loan.

Shuowen Jiezi

《說文》:“凡,最括也。从二。二,偶也。从ㄋ。ㄋ,古文及。”

Original meaning

tray