Meaning of 全体
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- all
- entire
How to use 全体
全体 is used for all members of a group, often in formal settings like schools, companies, or announcements. It usually comes before the group noun. Example: 全体同学请站起来。(Quántǐ tóngxué qǐng zhàn qǐlái.) All students, please stand up.
全 (quán) means whole or complete, and 体 (tǐ) means body, as in 身体 (shēntǐ). Put them together and you get the whole body of a group: everyone, all of it.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 全体 and 全部 (quánbù). 全体 is mainly for people as members of a group, while 全部 works for both people and things, so say 全部的钱 (all the money), not 全体的钱.
全体 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.
全 quán · all · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
体 tǐ · body · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 全体.
| 身体 | shēntǐ | the body; one's health |
| 完全 | wánquán | complete; whole; totally; entirely |
| 安全 | ānquán | safe; secure; safety; security |
| 全部 | quánbù | whole; all |
| 全国 | quánguó | whole nation; nationwide |
| 全身 | quánshēn | the whole body; (typography) em |
| 全家 | quánjiā | whole family |
| 体育 | tǐyù | sports; physical education |
| 体育馆 | tǐyùguǎn | gym; gymnasium |
| 体育场 | tǐyùchǎng | stadium |
| 全年 | quánnián | the whole year; all year long |
| 媒体 | méitǐ | media, esp. news media |
Questions about 全体
What does 全体 mean?
全体 (quántǐ) means "all; entire" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 全体?
全体 is made of 2 characters: 全 (6 strokes), 体 (7 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 全体 an HSK word?
Yes. 全体 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 全体 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 全体 is written 全體.
What is the difference between 全体 and 大家?
大家 (dàjiā) is casual and means everyone present. 全体 sounds more formal and stresses every single member of a defined group, like 全体员工 (all staff).
Can 全体 be used without a noun after it?
Yes, it can stand alone as a noun meaning the whole group, as in 为了全体的利益 (for the benefit of all). Still, it most often appears directly before a group word like 人员, 学生 or 成员.