断定

• Pinyin: duàn dìng
• Hanzi breakdown: 断 = 斤 (axe) + 纟(thread) — cutting through to a conclusion; 定 = 宀 (roof) + 正 (correct) — settling something firmly in place

Meaning

To conclude or determine with certainty; to make a definitive judgment based on evidence or reasoning. Implies a firm, often irrevocable conclusion.

Stronger than 认为 (think/believe) and 判断 (judge/assess). 断定 implies that the speaker is highly confident in their conclusion based on evidence. Used in formal analysis, legal, academic, and investigative contexts. Often paired with a cautionary phrase: 不能轻易断定 (cannot draw hasty conclusions).

Examples

1. 侦查人员根据现场证据断定，案发时间在午夜前后。 Based on the evidence at the scene, investigators concluded that the crime occurred around midnight.
2. 不能仅凭单一指标就断定一个学生的综合能力高低。 You can’t determine a student’s overall ability based on a single indicator.
3. 专家小组经过反复论证，最终断定该项目在技术上完全可行。 After repeated evaluations, the expert panel ultimately concluded that the project is completely feasible from a technical standpoint.

Usage Guide

Context: law, analysis, research, investigation

Tone: authoritative

Do Say

• 法医报告断定死亡时间为事发当晚十点至午夜之间，为侦破案件提供了关键依据。(The forensic report determined that the time of death was between ten o'clock and midnight on the night of the incident, providing a key basis for solving the case.)
• 不应凭借有限的样本数据就轻易断定实验结论，需扩大研究规模后再作评估。(One should not draw experimental conclusions lightly based on limited sample data; the research scope must be expanded before evaluation.)

Don't Say

• 我断定你明天来 — 断定 is based on evidence and reasoning, not expectation or social convention; say 我相信你明天会来 or 我估计你明天来

Origin & History

断 (cut/decide — to cut through ambiguity) + 定 (determine/fix as settled)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal