HSK 4 grammar · pattern
一般来说
一般来说 — generally speaking
Pattern
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
一般来说 opens a statement to mark it as a general rule that usually but not always holds — "generally speaking", "as a rule". It sits at the front, followed by a comma.
Examples
一般来说，早上人比较少。
Yìbān láishuō, zǎoshang rén bǐjiào shǎo.
Generally speaking, there are fewer people in the morning.
一般来说，这种病不严重。
Yìbān láishuō, zhè zhǒng bìng bù yánzhòng.
As a rule, this illness isn't serious.
一般来说，周末我不上班。
Yìbān láishuō, zhōumò wǒ bú shàngbān.
Generally, I don't work on weekends.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 一般来说 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.