HSK 7–9 grammar · pattern
总的来说/总而言之
总的来说／总而言之 — in general, in short
Pattern
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
Both phrases wrap up what has been said in a single overall judgement. 总的来说 "generally speaking" is comfortable in speech; 总而言之 "in a word" is more formal and more final.
Examples
总的来说，这次旅行很愉快。
Zǒng de lái shuō, zhè cì lǚxíng hěn yúkuài.
Generally speaking, the trip was very pleasant.
总而言之，我们必须尽快决定。
Zǒng'éryánzhī, wǒmen bìxū jǐnkuài juédìng.
In short, we must decide as soon as possible.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 总的来说/总而言之 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.