大抵
on the whole; in the main (literary)
Structure
大抵／大致／大概 判断
What it means
On the whole; in the main: a literary word for a broad, rough judgement.
How it is built
大抵 + judgement, at the head of the sentence or after the subject: 情况大抵如此 (That, in the main, is how things stand).
When to use it
A favourite word of Lu Xun’s. By register: 大抵 (literary), 大致 (neutral written), 大概 (everyday), 八成 (colloquial: “eighty per cent sure”).
Watch out
It is bookish: in chat use 大概 or 差不多. It mostly sums up the general case, so it suits summaries: 大抵如此, 大抵相同.
Examples
大抵每个中国学生都背过鲁迅的文章。
More or less every Chinese pupil has memorised some Lu Xun.
情况大抵如此。
That, in the main, is how things stand.
Learn this in Lesson 210 · HSK 9+: 鲁迅与白话文 (Lu Xun and the birth of modern writing)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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