Meaning
归纳 means to gather information together and draw conclusions or summarize key points. It can refer to making a summary of what has been discussed, or in logic and science, it refers to inductive reasoning—drawing general principles from specific examples.
Usage
Commonly used in academic, professional, and formal contexts when organizing thoughts or presenting conclusions. Often appears in phrases like 归纳总结 (to summarize) or 归纳法 (inductive method). Native speakers use it when they want to express bringing scattered information into an organized form.
Examples
- 01老师让我们归纳这篇文章的主要观点。.The teacher asked us to summarize the main points of this article.
- 02通过观察实验结果，科学家归纳出了一个新理论。, .By observing experimental results, the scientists induced a new theory.
Characters
Common collocations
- 归纳总结to summarize and conclude
- 归纳法inductive method
- 归纳整理to organize and summarize
- 归纳推理inductive reasoning
Antonyms
Origin
归 originally meant 'to return' and 纳 meant 'to receive or accept.' Together, 归纳 conveys the idea of gathering things back together and accepting them into a unified whole—hence summarizing or inducing general principles.