Meaning of 一般来说
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- generally speaking
How to use 一般来说
It usually opens a sentence to introduce a general rule or common situation, often followed by a comma. It is common in both speech and writing. Example: 一般来说，周末人比较多。(Yībān láishuō, zhōumò rén bǐjiào duō.) Generally speaking, there are more people on weekends.
Break it into 一般 (yībān, ordinary, general) plus 来说 (láishuō, speaking of it). Put together, it means speaking in general terms, just like the English phrase generally speaking.
Common mistake: Learners often say 一般说来 and 一般来说 interchangeably and wonder which is wrong. Both are correct, but 一般来说 is far more common. Another mistake is reading 一 as yī here. Because 般 is first tone, 一 changes to fourth tone in speech: yìbān láishuō.
一般来说 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
一 yī · one · 1 strokes
- 1
般 bān · sort · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
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- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
来 lái · to come · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
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- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
说 shuō · to speak · 9 strokes
- 1
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- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 一般来说.
| 一起 | yīqǐ | (in) the same place; together; in company (with) |
| 一样 | yīyàng | same; like |
| 回来 | huílái | to return; to come back |
| 起来 | qǐlái | to stand up; to get up; also pr. [qi3lai2] |
| 出来 | chūlái | to come out; to appear |
| 一些 | yīxiē | some; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er |
| 说话 | shuōhuà | to speak; to say |
| 进来 | jìnlái | to come in |
| 来到 | láidào | to arrive; to come |
| 一会儿 | yīhuìr | a moment; a while |
| 一半 | yībàn | half |
| 一边 | yībiān | one side; either side |
Questions about 一般来说
What does 一般来说 mean?
一般来说 (yībānláishuō) means "generally speaking".
How do you write 一般来说?
一般来说 is made of 4 characters: 一 (1 strokes), 般 (10 strokes), 来 (7 strokes), 说 (9 strokes). That is 27 strokes in total.
Is 一般来说 an HSK word?
Yes. 一般来说 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 一般来说 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 一般来说 is written 一般來說.
What is the difference between 一般来说 and 一般?
一般 alone can be an adjective meaning ordinary or so-so, as in 味道很一般 (wèidào hěn yìbān, the taste is just average). 一般来说 is a fixed phrase that frames a whole statement as a general rule.
Can I use 通常 instead of 一般来说?
Often yes, since 通常 (tōngcháng) means usually. However, 通常 usually sits before the verb inside the sentence, while 一般来说 typically stands at the start of the sentence as a lead-in.