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全球
quán qiú
the whole world
全球变暖是一个严重的环境问题。
Global warming is a serious environmental issue.
formal
The entire planet; the whole Earth as a single place.
全球经济正在复苏。
The global economy is recovering.
这家公司在全球拥有分支机构。
This company has branches worldwide.
Often used in formal contexts like economics, politics, or environmental science.
Pro Tip
Common Collocations
Remember that '全球' is often paired with terms like '变暖' (warming), '经济' (economy), '市场' (market), and '化' (ization) to form compound nouns.
Gold Rule
Global vs. Local
Use '全球' when referring to the entire planet or worldwide scale. For smaller regions, use terms like '地区' (region) or '国家' (country).
Word Origin
Composed of 全 (quán, 'complete' or 'whole') and 球 (qiú, 'ball' or 'globe'), literally meaning 'whole globe'. The term has been used in Chinese since at least the 20th century to describe the Earth as a unified entity.
Usage Notes
Used in both formal and neutral contexts. Avoid using it to refer to specific regions unless the context clearly implies global scope.
Word Breakdown
全
whole/complete
root球
ball/globe
root汉英词典