以偏概全 (yǐ piān gài quán) — (idiom) to take a part for the whole, to make a hasty generalization
Definition
An idiom meaning to judge an entire group based on a small, unrepresentative sample — a hasty, unfair generalization. Use it when criticizing someone's logic or argument for being too sweeping.
idiom
to take a part for the wholeto make a hasty generalization
Examples
- 以偏概全，。Bù néng yīn wèi gè bié rén de xíng wéi jiù yǐ piān gài quán, pī píng zhěng gè qún tǐ.You shouldn't criticize an entire group just because of a few individuals' behavior — that's taking a part for the whole.
- 以偏概全，。Tā de jié lùn shì jī yú jǐ gè shù jù yǐ piān gài quán dé chū de, bú gòu yán jǐn.His conclusion was reached by overgeneralizing from just a few data points — it's not rigorous enough.
- 以偏概全，。Hěn duō rén duì zhōng guó wén huà yǒu yǐ piān gài quán de wù jiě, qí shí bù tóng dì qū chā yì hěn dà.Many people have a 'part-for-the-whole' misunderstanding of Chinese culture; in fact, different regions vary greatly.
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