全球

• Pinyin: quán qiú
• Hanzi breakdown: 全 = 入 (enter) + 王 (king/jade), meaning whole; 球 = 王 (jade/ball) + 求 (seek, phonetic), meaning ball or globe

Meaning

Global; worldwide; the whole world. Refers to the entire planet and all its regions.

Used as both a noun (全球 = the whole globe) and a modifier (全球变暖 = global warming, 全球经济 = global economy). Very common in news, academic writing, and discussions about international affairs. More formal than 全世界 (the whole world), which is also widely used.

Examples

1. 全球变暖是一个严重的问题。 Global warming is a serious problem.
2. 这家公司的产品销往全球各地。 This company's products are sold worldwide.
3. 全球有七十多亿人口。 There are over seven billion people on the planet.

Usage Guide

Context: news, international affairs, economics, environment

Tone: informative

Do Say

• 这个问题需要全球合作来解决。(This problem requires global cooperation to solve.)
• 全球经济正在缓慢恢复。(The global economy is slowly recovering.)

Don't Say

• 我全球去过很多地方。(Don't use 全球 as an adverb — it modifies nouns. Say 我去过全球很多地方 or 我去过世界各地.)

Origin & History

全 means whole or entire; 球 means ball or sphere (referring to the Earth as a globe). Together they literally mean 'the whole sphere' — the entire planet.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal