基本功 (jī běn gōng) — basic skills, fundamentals

Definition

基本功 (jī běn gōng) refers to the basic skills or fundamentals of a craft, sport, or discipline — the essential techniques you must master first. It differs from 基础 (jī chǔ), which is a broader 'foundation' (e.g., of a building or theory). Compared to 功底 (gōng dǐ), which emphasizes the depth or level of one's basic skills, 基本功 focuses on the skills themselves as a set.

noun

basic skillsfundamentals

Examples

基本功。
Liànxí jī běn gōng fēicháng zhòngyào.
Practicing basic skills is very important.
基本功。
Tā de jī běn gōng hěn zhāshi.
His fundamentals are solid.
，基本功。
Yào xiǎng chéngwéi hǎo yǎnyuán, bìxū xiān dǎ hǎo jī běn gōng.
To become a good actor, you must first build a solid foundation of basic skills.

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