also: ぼんぶ
noun
General term for an average, unremarkable person; often used in contrast to exceptional or enlightened individuals.
彼は特別な才能のない凡夫に過ぎない。
He is nothing more than an ordinary person with no special talent.
noun
unenlightened person; deluded being
Buddhist term for a person who has not attained spiritual awakening; contrasts with 聖者 (sage) or 仏 (Buddha).
仏教では、凡夫は悟りを得るために修行する。
In Buddhism, unenlightened beings practice to attain enlightenment.
From Middle Chinese 凡夫 (bjom pju), meaning 'ordinary person'. The Buddhist sense developed from the idea of an unenlightened being still bound by worldly desires.