俗

The core sense is "commonality," referring to shared habits, behaviors, and statuses of the collective. This manifests in three primary ranges:

• Customary/Conventional: Local practice or habitual collective behavior (neutral).
• Secular/Worldly: The mundane realm of social obligations and temporal affairs, often used in contrast to the sacred or monastic.
• Vulgar/Unrefined: A lack of cultivation, elegance, or refinement (evaluative).

• Noun/Adjective: Functions as "customs," "the common people," "common," or "vulgar."
• Modifier: When paired with nouns regarding art or language, it often indicates a colloquial or popular version of the subject.

The meaning is frequently determined by its opposite in the text:

• 俗 vs. 雅 (yǎ): Distinguishes between the vulgar/common and the refined/elegant.
• 俗 vs. 聖 (shèng): Distinguishes between the secular/human and the sacred/holy.

Avoid an automatic translation of "vulgar." Unless the surrounding text provides a clear signal of disdain (such as the contrast with 雅), consider "customary," "worldly," or "common" to avoid importing a negative bias not present in the source.