整体 (zhěng tǐ) — the whole; entirety; overall situation | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

Refers to a thing or situation viewed as one complete unit, with focus on the 'whole' rather than its parts. Pairs naturally with 大局 or 全局 when emphasizing 'the big picture'.

noun

the wholeentiretyoverall situation

Examples

整体。
Gōng sī de zhěng tǐ shí lì zài bú duàn tí gāo.
The company's overall strength is continuously improving.
整体，。
Cóng zhěng tǐ shàng kàn, zhè ge xiàng mù shì chéng gōng de.
From an overall perspective, this project is successful.
整体。
Wǒ men xū yào zhì dìng yí gè zhěng tǐ guī huà.
We need to formulate an overall plan.

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.

体tǐbody/entity

“整” (“whole”) and “体” (“body/entity”) together mean “the whole.”

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.

敕正整

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

正

正zhèng整zhěng

Same sound today

整 pairs 敕 as the meaning side with 正 as the sound side.

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.

骨豊體

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.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 5 HSK 2.0 Level 5 Abstract Concepts

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