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面上 (miàn shǎng) — overall; on the whole; generally

Definition

面上 (miàn shàng) is a formal, written adverbial meaning 'on the whole / generally' — used to qualify a whole situation, not a physical surface. Common in the set phrase 总体上 / 总体来看; rarely used in speech.

noun
overallon the wholegenerally

Examples

  • 面上，。
    miàn shǎng Lái kàn, zhè ge fāng àn shì kě xíng de.
    Overall, this plan is feasible.
  • 面上。
    Zhè ge bào gào miàn shǎng fǎn yìng de qíng kuàng bǐ jiào quán miàn.
    This report generally reflects the situation comprehensively.
  • 面上，。
    Wǒ men miàn shǎng tóng yì le, dàn xì jié hái yào tǎo lùn.
    We agreed on the whole, but details still need discussion.

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.

面miànsurface
上shàngon

面 means surface and 上 means on, giving the sense of on the surface or generally.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

上 is drawn as a short horizontal line placed above a longer arc, marking a position above that arc.

Open 上 →
Appears in
Abstract Concepts

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