一般来说 (yī bān lái shuō) — generally speaking, in general

Definition

A fixed connective meaning 'generally speaking' used at the start of a sentence to introduce a broad generalization. Acts like an adverbial clause; the main clause that follows states the general rule or tendency.

verb
generally speakingin general

Examples

  • 一般来说，。
    yī bān lái shuō, Zhōng guó rén bǐ jiào zhù zhòng jiā tíng guān niàn.
    Generally speaking, Chinese people value family values quite a lot.
  • 一般来说，。
    yī bān lái shuō, Xià tiān bǐ dōng tiān gèng róng yì chū hàn.
    Generally speaking, people sweat more easily in summer than in winter.
  • 一般来说。
    Zhè ge wèn tí yī bān lái shuō yǒu liǎng gè jiě jué fāng àn.
    There are generally speaking two solutions to this problem.

Origin

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 般 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 說; 说 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
言言yán
Sound part声符shēngfú
兌
兌duì說shuō
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 說 pairs 言 (meaning) with 兌 (sound); the simplified 说 is not the form described here.

Open 说 →

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