(jī běn shàng) - basically, on the whole, essentially in Mandarin
jīběnshàngTraditional: 基本上
Translation
basically, on the whole, essentially
Word origin
From 基本 (jī běn, basic, fundamental) with the locative 上 (shàng, on, upon), literally on the basics and so in the main.
- Origin
- compound
- Root
- 基本 (jī běn, basic) + 上 (shàng, on)
Stroke order
基
本
上
Examples
。
The work is basically finished.
。
I basically agree with your view.
。
He comes just about every day.
。
This problem has essentially been solved.
。
On the whole nobody objected.
基本上 (jī běn shàng) is the hedge you reach for when something is true in the main but not down to the last detail. It sits before the verb and softens the claim: 基本上完成了 means finished apart from odds and ends.
It also works as a sentence opener, as in 基本上没有人反对, and in that position it colours the whole statement rather than one verb. Spoken Mandarin uses it constantly, in meetings especially, where nobody wants to commit to an absolute.
The trap is the 上. English speakers who know 基本 drop the suffix and say 基本完成了, which is fine but reads as terser and more formal. As a spoken hedge, keep the 上; without it you sound like a written report.
Where this fits
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基本上: worksheet, infographic and listicle
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 60.