假定

• Pinyin: jiǎ dìng
• Hanzi breakdown: 假 = 亻 + 叚 (person + borrow — borrowing temporarily, supposing); 定 = 宀 + 正 (roof + upright — fixing/settling)

Meaning

To assume; to presuppose; to take as a given for the sake of argument or analysis. Used in logical reasoning, academic writing, and conditional thinking.

More formal than 假设 in some contexts, often used in academic papers, legal reasoning, and philosophy to introduce a conditional premise. Can also function as a noun meaning 'a premise' or 'an assumption'.

Examples

1. 假定所有参与者都具备基本的数学知识，那么这道题的解法并不难理解。 Assuming all participants have basic math knowledge, the solution to this problem isn't hard to understand.
2. 研究者在分析数据时假定各变量之间不存在显著的交互作用，并以此为基础建立了模型。 When analyzing the data, the researchers assumed there were no significant interaction effects among variables and built the model on that basis.
3. 法律条文中的这一假定对被告方来说存在明显不公，理应予以修订。 This assumption in the legal provisions is clearly unfair to the defendant and should be revised.

Usage Guide

Context: academia, logic, law, research

Tone: analytical

Do Say

• 在建立理论模型时，研究者通常需要明确列出所有核心假定条件，并在结论部分说明这些假定对研究结论的适用范围所产生的限制与影响。(When constructing theoretical models, researchers typically need to explicitly enumerate all core assumptions, and in the conclusions section explain the restrictions and effects these assumptions impose on the scope of applicability of the research findings.)
• 假定该政策得以全面落实，据此进行的初步测算显示，在未来五年内，相关行业的能源消耗总量可降低约百分之二十。(Assuming this policy is fully implemented, preliminary calculations on that basis indicate that the total energy consumption of the relevant industries could be reduced by approximately twenty per cent over the next five years.)

Don't Say

• 假定 vs 假设 — 假定 often treats the premise as already granted without proof; 假设 implies a hypothesis or conjecture that may be tested or verified. In scientific contexts, use 假设 for testable hypotheses; use 假定 for given premises in logical deductions

Origin & History

假 (false; temporary; to borrow/suppose) + 定 (to fix; to determine; to settle)

Cultural Context

Generation: Academic/professional

Social background: Universal