Definition
大意 (dà yì) is a noun meaning 'main idea' or 'gist' — the central point of a text or speech. It is more specific than 概念 (concept) and less detailed than 要点 (key points). Note that 大意 is also an adjective (dà yi) meaning 'careless', distinguished by tone.
noun
general ideamain idea
Easily confused
- 大衣dà yīsound-alikeovercoat, heavy coat
Examples
- 大意？Zhè piān wénzhāng de dà yì shì shénme?What is the main idea of this article?
- 大意。Qǐng yòng yí jù huà gàikuò zhè duàn huà de dà yì.Please summarize the general idea of this paragraph in one sentence.
- ，大意。Wǒ tīng le tā de fāyán, jīběn míngbai le dà yì.I listened to his speech and basically understood the main idea.
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