常规
cháng guī · HSK 6
common practice
📋 常 = often/usual + 规 = rule → usual rules = routine/conventions
常 carries the sense of constant or habitual; 规 means a rule or regulation (the 见 component hints at oversight). Together they name the standing rules everyone follows — routine practice, standard procedure, the conventional way.
常 — 巾 (cloth) + 尚 (phonetic, 'esteem')
Originally written 裳, 常 was a phono-semantic compound: 巾 ('cloth') gave the meaning and 尚 supplied the sound, referring to a long lower garment or skirt. Over time the meaning shifted from 'everyday garment' to 'ordinary, regular, constant', while 裳 took over the original clothing sense.