adverb HSK 3
Traditional 總共
altogether · in total · in all
Meaning
总共 means 'altogether' or 'in total' and is used when summing up a quantity or giving a final count. It emphasizes the complete sum of something, whether that's money, people, items, or time. It's a very common word in everyday conversation when tallying things up.
Usage
总共 typically appears before the number or quantity being totaled, or at the beginning of a sentence to introduce a sum. It's neutral in register and used in both spoken and written Chinese. Often paired with 有 (yǒu) in the pattern '总共有...' to express 'there are ... in total'.
Examples
- 01这些东西总共多少钱？?How much are these things altogether?
- 02我们班总共有三十个学生。.Our class has thirty students in total.
Characters
Common collocations
- 总共有there are ... in total
- 总共多少钱how much in total
- 总共...个...... pieces/items in total
Origin
Both characters relate to totality: 总 originally meant 'to gather together' and 共 means 'together' or 'shared'. Combined, they reinforce the meaning of a complete sum.