总 (zǒng) — (adverb) always; invariably; (adverb) eventually; sooner or later; (adjective) total; overall
Definition
总 (zǒng) as an adverb means 'always' (habit, like 他总迟到) or 'sooner or later' (more casual than 终究, weaker than 迟早). As an adjective it means 'total/overall' — use 总体 for 'the overall picture' (a noun).
adverb
alwaysinvariablyeventuallysooner or later
adjective
totaloverall
Examples
- 总。Tā zǒng zài kàn shū.He is always reading.
- ，。Bié jí, nǐ zǒng huì zuò hǎo de.Don't worry, you'll eventually do it well.
- 总？zǒng Shí jiān shì duō shǎo?What's the total time?
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost 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.
Grammar
Appears in
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