基本上 jīběnshàng basically
basically; on the whole
How to remember 基本上: 基 foundation + 本 source + 上 above = basically.
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How it is used
- A sentence-level adverb meaning "basically, on the whole," used to hedge or summarize a statement: 基本上完成了 (jīběnshàng wánchéng le) it's basically done.
- Very common as a casual spoken filler-hedge: 基本上都是他做的 (jīběnshàng dōu shì tā zuò de) - it's mostly/basically him who did it.
- Slightly softer and more conversational than plain 基本 used adverbially, and typically sits right before the whole predicate rather than one specific word.