总结 (zǒngjié) — to summarize; summary

总结 (zǒngjié)

总结 means to summarize or wrap up, used both as a verb (to summarize) and a noun (a summary or conclusion), especially at the end of an activity or period.

Meanings

1. [verb] to summarize; to wrap up; to draw conclusions
2. [noun] a summary; a conclusion; a review

Example Sentences

老师在课末总结了今天的重点内容。 Lǎoshī zài kè mò zǒngjiéle jīntiān de zhòngdiǎn nèiróng. The teacher summarized the key content of today's lesson at the end of class.

他写了一份年终总结，回顾了全年的工作。 Tā xiěle yī fèn nián zhōng zǒngjié, huígùle quánnián de gōngzuò. He wrote a year-end summary, reviewing the work of the whole year.

总结经验教训，有助于我们未来做得更好。 Zǒngjié jīngyàn jiàoxun, yǒuzhù yú wǒmen wèilái zuò de gèng hǎo. Summarizing lessons learned helps us do better in the future.

请你总结一下今天讨论的主要结论。 Qǐng nǐ zǒngjié yīxià jīntiān tǎolùn de zhǔyào jiélùn. Please summarize the main conclusions from today's discussion.

Collocations

Usage Notes

总结 implies a thorough review and drawing of conclusions, not just a brief recap. It is widely used in Chinese educational and professional settings. At the end of projects, semesters, or years, writing a 总结 is standard practice. It differs from 概括 (to generalize) in that it focuses more on lessons and conclusions.

Memory Hook

总 means "to gather/total" and 结 means "to tie/conclude." So 总结 is to gather everything together and tie it into a neat conclusion: the perfect summary.