总的来说／总而言之
all in all; in short; to sum up
Structure
细节 ， 细节 。 总的来说／总而言之 ， 结论
What it means
“All in all; in short; to sum up”: both sum up what has just been said and draw a conclusion.
How it is built
Details 。 总的来说／总而言之 ， + conclusion: 医院远一点儿，不过医生很负责。总的来说，我还是挺满意的 (it's a bit far, but the doctors are conscientious; on the whole I'm satisfied).
When to use it
总的来说 (also 总的说来) gives an overall verdict, often after weighing good against bad; neutral and very common in speech. 总而言之 is more formal and emphatic; its short form is 总之 (1-26).
Watch out
What follows must be a conclusion, not a fresh detail. ✗ 总的来说，这家医院还有一个停车场 ✓ 总的来说，这家医院还不错.
Examples
总的来说，这些中国名字所代表的成就，是一代代人锲而不舍地观察、计算和钻研的结晶。
All in all, the achievements behind these Chinese names are the fruit of generation after generation of unflagging observation, calculation and study.
这家医院离家远一点儿，排队也久，不过医生很负责。总的来说，我还是挺满意的。
The hospital is a bit far from home and the queues are long, but the doctors are very conscientious. On the whole I am quite satisfied.
天文、数学、医学，古人在每个领域都有杰出的成就。总而言之，中国古代科学远不止四大发明。
Astronomy, mathematics, medicine: the ancients achieved great things in every field. In short, ancient Chinese science was far more than the four great inventions.
Learn this in Lesson 101 · HSK 6–7: 月球上的中国名字 (Chinese names on the Moon)
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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