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大概

dà gài
HSK 2.0 Level 4 HSK 3.0 Level 3 Adjective Very common

Definitions

  1. 1. roughly
  2. 2. probably
  3. 3. rough
  4. 4. approximate
  5. 5. about
  6. 6. general idea

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item
确切
què qiè

definite

确切 means exact or precise, opposite of approximate.

Related words

1 item
差不多
chà bu duō

almost

差不多 means almost or nearly; often used colloquially.

Synonyms

2 items
可能
kě néng

might (happen)

When expressing probability or likelihood, 可能 is similar but 大概 sounds more approximate.
大约
dà yuē

approximately

Both mean approximately, but 大约 is more formal and often used with numbers.

Usage notes

Collocations

Use 大概 + number to give an approximate amount (e.g., 大概五个人 about five people).

Common mistakes

Learners often overuse 大概 with 可能; 大概 implies an estimation, while 可能 is pure possibility.

Grammar

Guides that feature 大概

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1 guide
HSK 2.0 Level 3+ HSK 3.0 Level 3+ 7 min
Mood Adverbs 大概, 一定, and 好像

Learn Mood Adverbs 大概, 一定, and 好像 with practical HSK 3 examples, focus vocabulary, common pitfalls, and targeted cloze practice.

Reading: dà gài Open guide

Example Sentences

1 shown
他 大概 有三十岁。
He is probably around thirty years old.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 大概

大
dà

big; large; great

大
dài

see 大夫[dài fu]

概
gài

general