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总体 (zǒng tǐ) — overall, total, entire; population (statistics)

Definition

总体 is a noun for 'the whole' or 'the overall picture' — the totality being considered. It pairs with 全体, but 全体 emphasizes every individual member, while 总体 stresses the aggregate as one unit.

noun
overalltotalentirepopulation (statistics)

Examples

  • 总体。
    Wǒ duì gōng sī de zǒng tǐ qíng kuàng hái bù liǎo jiě.
    I still don't understand the overall situation of the company.
  • 总体，。
    Cóng zǒng tǐ shàng kàn, zhè ge fāng àn shì kě xíng de.
    From an overall perspective, this plan is feasible.
  • 总体。
    Tǒng jì zhōng de zǒng tǐ shì zhǐ quán bù yán jiū duì xiàng.
    The population in statistics refers to all research subjects.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

总zǒngoverall
体tǐbody

总 adds the sense of whole and 体 means body, so the word denotes the entire entity or population.

Characters in this word

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 總; 总 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
糸糸mìrope
Sound part声符shēngfú
悤
悤cōng總zǒng
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 總 has 糸, a rope, and 悤 as a sound part; the rope part is for binding together. This account is for 總, not for 总.

Open 总 →

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 體; 体 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
骨骨gǔbone
Sound part声符shēngfú
豊
豊lǐ體tǐ
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 體 pairs 骨 (bone) with 豊 as a sound part; this note is about 體, not about the parts of 体.

Open 体 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Abstract Concepts

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