总预算 (zǒng yù suàn) — general budget

Definition

总预算 is the overall, master budget that sums up all line items across a project, company, or government. It is a formal term used in finance, policy, and accounting contexts.

noun
general budget

Examples

  • 总预算。
    Gōng sī de zǒng yù suàn yǐ jīng pī zhǔn le.
    The company's general budget has been approved.
  • 总预算。
    Zhèng fǔ gōng bù le míng nián de zǒng yù suàn.
    The government announced next year's general budget.
  • 总预算。
    Wǒ men xū yào chóng xīn tiáo zhěng zǒng yù suàn.
    We need to readjust the general budget.

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zǒngtotal
预算preliminary calculation
预yùin advance算suàncalculate
偏正Modifier + head

总 (total) + 预算 (preliminary calculation) means overall budget.

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 預; 预 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
頁頁yè
Sound part声符shēngfú
予
予yǔ預yù
Same sound today

The traditional form 預 combines 予 for the sound and 頁 for the meaning; the simplified 预 is a later shorthand.

Open 预 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The current form 算 has 竹 on top, 目 in the middle, and 廾 below; the 目 part may have originally drawn counting rods, often made of bamboo.

Open 算 →

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