Meaning of 基本上
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- basically
- on the whole
How to use 基本上
基本上 usually goes before the verb or at the start of a sentence to say something is mostly true, with small exceptions. It softens a statement in a natural way. Example: 作业我基本上写完了。(Zuòyè wǒ jīběnshàng xiě wán le.) I have basically finished my homework.
基本 (jīběn) means the base or foundation, and 上 (shàng) adds the sense of "on the level of." So 基本上 is speaking "on the basic level," which gives you "basically" or "on the whole."
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 基本上 with 基本 (jīběn). 基本 can be an adjective, as in 基本问题 (basic question), but 基本上 is only an adverb, so you should not say 基本上问题. In fast speech the final 上 is often light, jīběnshang, so do not stress it with a full fourth tone.
基本上 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.
基 jī · foundation · 11 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
本 běn · root · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
上 shàng · up · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 基本上.
| 马上 | mǎshàng | at once; right away |
| 晚上 | wǎnshang | evening; night |
| 身上 | shēnshang | on the body; at hand |
| 早上 | zǎoshang | early morning |
| 上次 | shàng cì | last time |
| 路上 | lùshang | on the road; on the way; en route |
| 上班 | shàngbān | to go to work; to be on duty |
| 上车 | shàng chē | to get on or into (a bus, train, car etc) |
| 地上 | dìshang | on the ground; on the floor |
| 楼上 | lóu shàng | upstairs; (Internet slang) previous poster in a forum thread |
| 车上 | chē shang | |
| 上学 | shàngxué | to go to school; to attend school |
Questions about 基本上
What does 基本上 mean?
基本上 (jīběnshàng) means "basically; on the whole" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 基本上?
基本上 is made of 3 characters: 基 (11 strokes), 本 (5 strokes), 上 (3 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 基本上 an HSK word?
Yes. 基本上 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 基本上 and 大概 (dàgài)?
基本上 means something is mostly or nearly complete, as in mostly done or mostly true. 大概 expresses a guess or probability, like "probably." 我基本上懂了 means I mostly understand, but 我大概懂了 sounds more like I think I probably understand.
Can 基本上 be used with negative sentences?
Yes. It often goes before 不 or 没, meaning "hardly" or "basically not." For example, 他基本上不喝酒 (Tā jīběnshàng bù hē jiǔ) means he basically does not drink alcohol.