Meaning of 总共
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- altogether; in sum; in all; in total
How to use 总共
总共 (zǒnggòng) goes before a verb or a number phrase to give a final total, often of people, money, or items. Example: 我们班总共有三十个学生。(Wǒmen bān zǒnggòng yǒu sānshí ge xuésheng.) Our class has thirty students in total.
总 (zǒng) means overall or general, as in 总是 (zǒngshì) always, and 共 (gòng) means together, as in 共同 (gòngtóng) joint. Put the whole lot together and you get the total.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 总共 (zǒnggòng) with 公共 (gōnggòng, public) because they sound similar. Watch the tones: zǒng is third tone, while gōng is first tone. Another trap is putting 总共 at the end of a sentence as in English "in total". It must come before the verb or number, so say 总共五十块 (zǒnggòng wǔshí kuài), not 五十块总共.
总共 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.
总 zǒng · general · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
共 gòng · common · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 总共.
| 一共 | yīgòng | in total; altogether |
| 公共汽车 | gōnggòng qìchē | bus |
| 总是 | zǒngshì | always |
| 共同 | gòngtóng | common; joint |
| 公共 | gōnggòng | public; common; communal |
| 共有 | gòngyǒu | in total there are ...; to own jointly |
| 总结 | zǒngjié | to sum up; to conclude |
| 总统 | zǒngtǒng | president (of a country) |
| 总之 | zǒngzhī | in a word; in short |
| 总理 | zǒnglǐ | premier; prime minister |
| 总算 | zǒngsuàn | at long last; finally |
| 共享 | gòngxiǎng | to share; to enjoy together |
Questions about 总共
What does 总共 mean?
总共 (zǒnggòng) means "altogether; in sum; in all; in total" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 总共?
总共 is made of 2 characters: 总 (9 strokes), 共 (6 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 总共 an HSK word?
Yes. 总共 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 总共 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 总共 is written 總共.
What is the difference between 总共 and 一共?
They mean the same thing and are usually interchangeable, as in 一共多少钱 or 总共多少钱. 一共 (yīgòng) is more common in everyday speech, while 总共 sounds slightly more formal or emphatic.
Can 总共 be used directly before a number without a verb?
Yes. In spoken Chinese you can say 总共三个人 (zǒnggòng sān ge rén), three people in all, without adding 有. You can also add 是 or 有 for a fuller sentence.