纲要

• Pinyin: gāng yào
• Hanzi breakdown: 纲 = 纟 + 冈 (main strand, key line); 要 = 覀 + 女 (essential, critical)

Meaning

Outline; summary; a structured overview of the main points or essential content of a subject, plan, or policy document.

Used in academic, administrative, and policy contexts. More specific than 概要 (general summary) in that 纲要 usually implies an organised, point-by-point structure. Common for curriculum outlines, planning documents, and policy briefs.

Examples

1. 教育部下发了新版课程纲要，要求各学校据此调整教学内容和评估方式。 The Ministry of Education issued a new curriculum outline and required schools to adjust their teaching content and evaluation methods accordingly.
2. 学者在正式动笔之前，通常会先拟定一份研究纲要，以厘清论证思路和结构布局。 Before starting to write in earnest, scholars usually draft a research outline first to clarify their line of argument and overall structure.
3. 这份环境保护纲要明确列出了未来十年碳排放减少的分阶段目标与责任分工。 This environmental protection outline clearly lays out phased targets and divisions of responsibility for reducing carbon emissions over the next decade.

Usage Guide

Context: academic, education, policy, administrative

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请在报告提交前先整理出一份结构清晰的内容纲要，便于评审委员会快速了解研究方向。(Please prepare a clearly structured content outline before submitting the report, to help the review committee quickly understand the research direction.)
• 该课程纲要涵盖了基础理论、实践操作与案例分析三大模块。(The course outline covers three main modules: foundational theory, practical application, and case analysis.)

Don't Say

• 纲要了所有内容 — 纲要 is a noun only, not a verb; use 概括 or 总结 when you mean to summarise

Origin & History

纲 (main thread/outline) + 要 (essential/key)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal