張ちょう三さん李り四し

ちょ

う

さ

ん

り

し

Meanings

1

noun

ordinary person; average Joe; nobody special

yojijukugo (four-character idiom)

A literary yojijukugo referring to common, unremarkable people, often with a dismissive or humble nuance. Rare in modern conversation; mostly encountered in older texts or as a set phrase.

彼かれは張ちょう三さん李り四しの一人ひとりに過すぎない。
He is nothing more than an ordinary person.

張counter for bows & stringed instruments, stretch, spread

三three

李plum

四four

Similar words

凡ぼん人じん
凡人 is a common, neutral word for an ordinary person, while 張三李四 is a rare, literary yojijukugo with a slightly dismissive tone.
有う象ぞう無む象ぞう
有象無象 refers to a motley crowd or the masses, often with a negative nuance, whereas 張三李四 focuses on the idea of an unremarkable individual.

Etymology

A yojijukugo of Chinese origin, literally 'Zhang Three, Li Four', using common Chinese surnames to represent ordinary, unremarkable people.