基础

• Pinyin: jī chǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 基 = 其 (phonetic) + 土 (earth) — an earthen base; 础 = 石 (stone) + 出 (emerge, phonetic) — a stone base for a pillar

Meaning

Foundation; basis; groundwork. The underlying structure or fundamental knowledge upon which something is built.

Used both concretely (建筑基础 — building foundation) and abstractly (知识基础 — knowledge base, 感情基础 — emotional foundation). Common collocations: 打好基础 (lay a good foundation), 在…的基础上 (on the basis of…), 基础教育 (basic/foundational education). It is a key academic and professional term.

Examples

1. 学好数学需要打好基础。 Learning maths well requires building a solid foundation.
2. 他们的友谊有着深厚的基础。 Their friendship has a deep and firm foundation.
3. 这座楼的基础非常坚固。 The foundation of this building is very solid.

Usage Guide

Context: education, construction, everyday

Tone: objective

Do Say

• 你需要先打好汉语基础。(You need to build a solid foundation in Chinese first.)
• 这个计划是在原来方案的基础上改进的。(This plan was improved on the basis of the original proposal.)

Don't Say

• 我没有基础的知识。(Avoid 基础的知识 — the natural pairing is 基础知识 (basic knowledge) without 的. Say 我缺乏基础知识.)

Origin & History

Compound of 基 (foundation; earth base) and 础 (base of a pillar/column). Both characters relate to physical structural bases, and together they extend to abstract foundations.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal