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總 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
總zǒngto gather, to collect; overall, altogetherzg, 17 strokes, radical 糹, Very Hard
zǒng(zong3) T3
  1. 1to gather, to collect; overall, altogether
Listen to the audio pronunciation 3 times to gain XP
March 24, 2026

總zǒng(zong3)

The character 總 (zǒng) means 'to gather' or 'to collect,' and is often used to indicate an overall summary or total. It appears in contexts where one discusses aggregation, like total costs or overall results, and carries a sense of comprehensiveness.

Strokes17Radical糹Frequency#—DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the concept of 'totality' is often emphasized in business and education, reflecting the importance of comprehensive understanding and reporting in both fields.

Memory Tip

Imagine a large net (the radical '糸' represents threads or nets) gathering various items together. The sound 'zǒng' can be remembered by thinking of a 'zone' where everything is collected and summarized.

Meanings of 總

zǒng(zong3)
1to gather, to collect; overall, altogether
Exercise 1 of 2

Listen & Choose the Meaning

Choose the correct answer:

About 總

總Simplified
17Strokes
糹Radical
状态词stative word (stat.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 總

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Podcast: 總

Listen to Jason & Amy break down this word for you

AI Study Notes for 總

Quick Contrast

总 (zǒng) vs 汇总 (huìzǒng) — use 总 for general totals and 汇总 for compiled summaries.

Memory Mnemonic

Imagine a large net (the radical '糸' represents threads or nets) gathering various items together. The sound 'zǒng' can be remembered by thinking of a 'zone' where everything is collected and summarized.

Usage Notes

Be cautious with the tone; 'zǒng' is third tone, and mispronouncing it can lead to misunderstandings. It is commonly used in formal contexts, such as business reports (總結, zǒngjié - summary) and discussions. A common collocation is 總共 (zǒnggòng), meaning 'altogether'.

HSK Study Tips

While 總 is not part of the HSK vocabulary list, it's useful for learners aiming for higher proficiency. Focus on its usage in summarizing or concluding discussions, which aligns with phrases and vocabulary used in HSK levels 5 and 6.

Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, the concept of 'totality' is often emphasized in business and education, reflecting the importance of comprehensive understanding and reporting in both fields.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 總 with 總是 (zǒng shì), which means 'always' or 'generally'. For example, saying '我總是喜欢这个' (Wǒ zǒng shì xǐhuān zhège) can be misleading; it's better to differentiate their usages.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 總

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Etymology of 總

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Simplified form of 總. Phonosemantic compound. 糹 represents the meaning and 悤 represents the sound. Based on the meaning "put together", since thread (糹) is used to put things together.

Memory Hint

thread

Semantic (meaning)糹
+
Phonetic (sound)悤
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Character Formation Type

What type of character formation is 總?

Decomposition of 總

IDS Structure⿰糹悤
總Full Character
=
糹si1
left
悤cong1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Identify the Components

Which of these is a component of 總?

Write 總

總

Practice writing 總 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

Write correctly 3 times to earn XP

Cultural Notes for 總

🏮Cultural insight

In Chinese culture, the concept of 'totality' is often emphasized in business and education, reflecting the importance of comprehensive understanding and reporting in both fields.

Word Family of 總

Words Containing This Character20
总zǒngalways總
总是zǒngshìalways總是
总统zǒngtǒngpresident (of a country)總統
总之zǒngzhīin a word總之
总结zǒngjiéto sum up總結
总理zǒnglǐpremier總理
总体zǒngtǐcompletely總體
总部zǒngbùgeneral headquarters總部
总经理zǒngjīnglǐCEO總經理
总裁zǒngcáichairman總裁
总算zǒngsuànfinally總算
总额zǒngétotal (amount or value)總額
总局head office總局
总量zǒngliàngtotal總量
总数zǒngshùtotal總數
总监zǒngjiānhead總監
总共zǒnggòngaltogether總共
夜总会yèzǒnghuìnightclub夜總會
总决赛finals (sports)總決賽
总书记general secretary (of the Communist Party)總書記
Exercise 1 of 4

Compound Meaning

What does 总 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 總

In business, 總 refers to overall totals or summaries, such as total revenue or the overall performance of a project.