笼统

• Pinyin: lǒng tǒng
• Hanzi breakdown: 笼 = 竹 + 龙 (encompassing); 统 = 糸 + 充 (to unify/gather)

Meaning

Vague; overly general; sweeping; lacking specificity or precision. Describes statements, plans, or responses that are too broad to be useful.

Often used critically when demanding greater precision — e.g., in academic writing, policy debate, or professional feedback. 笼统地说 (to speak in sweeping generalities) and 太笼统了 (too vague) are common expressions of dissatisfaction with imprecise reasoning.

Examples

1. 他的回答太笼统，没有提供任何具体数据，令审查委员会感到失望。 His answer was too vague and didn’t provide any concrete data, which disappointed the review committee.
2. 计划书过于笼统，缺乏可操作的细节，领导要求团队重新修改。 The proposal is overly general and lacks actionable details, so leadership asked the team to revise it.
3. 笼统地将所有问题归结为体制原因，并不能真正解决任何实际困难。 Lumping all problems together and blaming them on “the system” doesn’t truly solve any real difficulties.

Usage Guide

Context: academic, professional, criticism

Tone: critical

Do Say

• 这份报告的结论过于笼统，建议加入具体的案例分析和数据支撑。(The conclusions in this report are too sweeping — it is advisable to add specific case studies and data to support them.)
• 领导批评他的发言太笼统，要求他在下次会议上提供更具针对性的方案。(The leader criticised his speech for being too vague and asked him to present a more targeted proposal at the next meeting.)

Don't Say

• 将笼统与模糊混用 — 笼统 means overly general or not specific enough, while 模糊 means unclear or ambiguous (Don't confuse 笼统 (overly general/sweeping) with 模糊 (unclear/ambiguous) — 笼统 is about breadth and lack of specificity, not opacity)

Origin & History

笼 (cage/envelop) + 统 (to unify/encompass) — implying something that sweeps everything into one broad category

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal