Definition
大意 has two distinct meanings with different tones: as an adjective (often dà yi, neutral tone) it means 'careless, negligent' — more serious than 马虎 (sloppy) and less hasty than 草率 (rash). As a noun (dà yì, fourth tone) it means 'main idea, gist' — broader than 要领 (key points) and more precise than 大概 (rough idea).
adjective
carelessnegligentto take something lightly
noun
main ideagistgeneral sense
Easily confused
- 大衣dà yīsound-alikeovercoat, heavy coat
Examples
- 大意，。Nǐ zuò zuòyè shí bú yào dà yì, yào zǐxì jiǎnchá.You should not be careless when doing homework; check carefully.
- 大意。Zhè piān wénzhāng de dà yì shì bǎohù huánjìng.The main idea of this article is to protect the environment.
- 大意，。Xiān gàosu wǒ dà yì, zài shuō xìjié.First tell me the gist, then the details.
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