个体 meaning in English
an individual; self-employed individual; small business operator (abbr. for 個體戶|个体户[ge4 ti3 hu4])
Meaning of 个体
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- an individual
- self-employed individual; small business operator (abbr. for 個體戶|个体户[ge4 ti3 hu4])
How to use 个体
个体 often appears in formal or written Chinese, contrasting the individual with the collective, as in 全体 (quántǐ) versus 个体. It is also short for 个体户 (gètǐhù), a self-employed person or small business owner. Example: 他爸爸是做小生意的个体户。(Tā bàba shì zuò xiǎo shēngyì de gètǐhù.) His dad is a self-employed small business owner.
个 (gè) is the measure word for one single thing, and 体 (tǐ) means body, as in 身体 (shēntǐ). One single body is an individual, separate from the group.
Common mistake: Learners often use 个体 to mean a person in everyday talk, but in casual speech 个人 (gèrén) or 人 is more natural. 个体 sounds academic or refers to biological or statistical individuals.
个体 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.
个 gè · classifier used before a noun that has … · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
体 tǐ · body · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 个体.
| 身体 | shēntǐ | the body; one's health |
| 全体 | quántǐ | all; entire |
| 体育 | tǐyù | sports; physical education |
| 体育馆 | tǐyùguǎn | gym; gymnasium |
| 个子 | gèzi | stature; height; size (of a person or object); (agriculture) bundle of cereal stalks tied |
| 体育场 | tǐyùchǎng | stadium |
| 整个 | zhěnggè | whole; entire |
| 个人 | gèrén | an individual; oneself; (attributive) personal; one's own |
| 媒体 | méitǐ | media, esp. news media |
| 具体 | jùtǐ | concrete; specific; detailed |
| 体验 | tǐyàn | to experience for oneself |
| 个性 | gèxìng | individuality; personality |
Questions about 个体
What does 个体 mean?
个体 (gètǐ) means "an individual; self-employed individual; small business operator (abbr. for 個體戶|个体户[ge4 ti3 hu4])" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 个体?
个体 is made of 2 characters: 个 (3 strokes), 体 (7 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 个体 an HSK word?
Yes. 个体 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 个体 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 个体 is written 個體.
What is the difference between 个体 and 个人?
个人 (gèrén) is the common word for an individual person or personal matters, as in 个人信息 (personal information). 个体 is more formal and can describe any single unit, including animals or organisms in science.
What does 个体经济 mean?
个体经济 (gètǐ jīngjì) means the individual or private small business sector of the economy. It refers to businesses run by individuals or families rather than by the state or large companies.