Meaning of 总理
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- premier
- prime minister
Measure word: 個|个,位,名
How to use 总理
总理 is the standard word for the premier of China and for prime ministers of many other countries. It often appears with a country name before it. Example: 中国总理访问了日本。(Zhōngguó zǒnglǐ fǎngwèn le Rìběn.) The Chinese premier visited Japan.
总 (zǒng) means general or overall, and 理 (lǐ) means to manage, as in 经理 (jīnglǐ) manager. The 总理 is the person who manages everything overall in a government.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes mix up 总理 (zǒnglǐ) with 经理 (jīnglǐ), since both end in 理 and involve managing. 经理 is a company manager, while 总理 is a head of government, so calling your boss 总理 sounds very odd.
总理 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
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理 lǐ · texture · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 总理.
| 道理 | dàolǐ | reason; argument |
| 经理 | jīnglǐ | manager; director |
| 理想 | lǐxiǎng | an ideal; a dream |
| 总是 | zǒngshì | always |
| 处理 | chǔlǐ | to handle; to deal with; to punish |
| 理解 | lǐjiě | to comprehend; to understand |
| 理由 | lǐyóu | reason; grounds |
| 理论 | lǐlùn | theory; to argue |
| 管理 | guǎnlǐ | to supervise; to manage |
| 整理 | zhěnglǐ | to arrange; to tidy up |
| 合理 | hélǐ | rational; reasonable; sensible; fair |
| 总结 | zǒngjié | to sum up; to conclude |
Questions about 总理
What does 总理 mean?
总理 (zǒnglǐ) means "premier; prime minister" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 总理?
总理 is made of 2 characters: 总 (9 strokes), 理 (11 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 总理 an HSK word?
Yes. 总理 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 总理 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 总理 is written 總理.
What is the difference between 总理 and 总统?
总统 (zǒngtǒng) means president, usually a head of state. 总理 means premier or prime minister, the head of government. For example, the US has a 总统, while the UK has a 首相 or 总理.
Is 首相 the same as 总理?
Both can translate as prime minister. 首相 (shǒuxiàng) is traditionally used for countries like the UK and Japan, while 总理 is used for China and many other countries. Chinese media follow fixed conventions for each country.