俗

Formed as a phono-semantic compound:

人 (person) provides the semantic element, relating to human society;

谷 (valley, gǔ) provides the phonetic element.

Originally referred to “the ways of the people,” i.e. customs or folkways, and later extended to mean “secular” or “vulgar” in contrast to lofty or refined (雅).

Semantic range:

- customs, manners, folkways (풍속);

- secular, worldly (속세, 世俗);

- vulgar, coarse, common (속되다).

風俗 (풍속) — customs, manners

世俗 (세속) — the secular world

俗語 (속어) — colloquial speech, vernacular

俗人 (속인) — layperson, commoner

俗化 (속화) — to become vulgar, secularized

In Confucianism, 俗 often carries a pejorative sense, contrasted with refined 雅, emphasizing the ideal of cultivating oneself above mere common customs.

In Buddhism, 俗 is used to distinguish the lay, worldly life (在俗) from the monastic life, with the phrase 出俗 meaning “to leave the world” and enter the religious path.

In Daoism, it can mean being bound by worldly dust (俗塵), from which the sage seeks liberation.

In Christian discourse, 俗 is employed when contrasting the sacred (聖) with the secular (俗) — echoing the biblical distinction between “the world” and the life in Christ. Terms like 世俗 or 俗世 are used in translations to represent the “worldly” sphere in contrast to the holy, as in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world (勿效法這個世俗).” Thus, 俗 denotes human culture apart from God, often with a cautionary tone.