Show pageOld revisionsBacklinksBack to top This page is read only. You can view the source, but not change it. Ask your administrator if you think this is wrong. ====== dìnggǎo: 定稿 - To finalize a draft, Final version/draft ====== ===== Quick Summary ===== * **Keywords:** dinggao, dìng gǎo, 定稿, finalize draft, final version, complete manuscript, finalize a document, Chinese for final draft, set a manuscript, approve a document. * **Summary:** Learn the essential Chinese term **定稿 (dìnggǎo)**, which means to finalize a draft or refers to the final, approved version of a document. This page breaks down its meaning, cultural significance in business and academic settings, and practical usage. Discover the difference between simply finishing a task (完成) and the official act of creating a **定稿**, the point of no more revisions. Master its use with numerous example sentences and avoid common mistakes. ===== Core Meaning ===== * **Pinyin (with tone marks):** dìng gǎo * **Part of Speech:** Verb / Noun * **HSK Level:** N/A (but a common and essential term in business, academic, and professional contexts, equivalent to HSK 6+) * **Concise Definition:** To finalize a written document; the final, approved version of a text. * **In a Nutshell:** **定稿 (dìnggǎo)** is the satisfying moment when a piece of writing is officially "done." As a verb, it's the action of making the final decision on a text, closing the door on further major edits. As a noun, it's the finished product itself—the final manuscript ready for submission, publication, or implementation. It carries a sense of official approval and finality that goes beyond simply "finishing" a draft. ===== Character Breakdown ===== * **定 (dìng):** To set, to fix, to decide, to establish. This character implies stability and finality. Think of it as putting something in its place permanently. * **稿 (gǎo):** Draft, manuscript, sketch. The left-side radical 禾 (hé) means "grain," suggesting something that has been cultivated or produced through effort. * The two characters combine literally to mean "to fix a draft" or "a fixed draft." This perfectly captures the idea of taking a work-in-progress (稿) and making it final and unchangeable (定). ===== Cultural Context and Significance ===== In Chinese professional and academic culture, process, consensus, and hierarchical approval are highly valued. **定稿 (dìnggǎo)** is a critical milestone in this process. It’s not just an individual deciding their work is finished; it’s a formal declaration that the document has passed the necessary stages of review and has been signed off on. This can be contrasted with the more individualistic Western approach where a person might "finalize" a document for their own purposes. In a Chinese context, especially in a company or university, the act of calling something a **定稿** often requires explicit approval from a superior, a committee, or the collective group. It signifies that the document now represents the official position of the group or organization, not just the author. Announcing that a report is ready for **定稿** is an invitation for final, serious review before it's locked in. It’s a key step in workflows that prioritize harmony and collective responsibility. ===== Practical Usage in Modern China ===== **定稿 (dìnggǎo)** is a formal to semi-formal term used widely in any environment that produces documents. * **In Business:** Used constantly for reports, contracts, proposals, marketing materials, and presentations. A manager might ask an employee: `报告定稿了吗？ (Bàogào dìnggǎo le ma?)` - "Has the report been finalized?" The **定稿** is the version sent to the client or presented to the board. * **In Academia:** Essential when discussing theses, dissertations, and research papers. A student reaching the **定稿** stage of their thesis is a major achievement, signifying that their professor has approved the manuscript for submission. * **In Publishing and Media:** Writers, editors, and translators use **定稿** to refer to the manuscript that is ready to go to print or the script that is ready for production. The word implies a high-stakes finality. You wouldn't use it for a shopping list or a casual email to a friend. ===== Example Sentences ===== * **Example 1:** * 这是报告的**定稿**，请您审阅。 * Pinyin: Zhè shì bàogào de **dìnggǎo**, qǐng nín shěnyuè. * English: This is the final version of the report, please review it. * Analysis: Here, **定稿** is used as a noun. The context is formal, using "您" (nín), and it indicates the report is considered complete by the author and is now ready for a final, official check. * **Example 2:** * 我们必须在周五之前**定稿**这份合同。 * Pinyin: Wǒmen bìxū zài zhōuwǔ zhīqián **dìnggǎo** zhè fèn hétong. * English: We must finalize this contract before Friday. * Analysis: Here, **定稿** is used as a verb. The sentence emphasizes a deadline and the necessity of completing the finalization process. * **Example 3:** * 经过十几次修改，我的小说终于可以**定稿**了。 * Pinyin: Jīngguò shí jǐ cì xiūgǎi, wǒ de xiǎoshuō zhōngyú kěyǐ **dìnggǎo** le. * English: After more than ten revisions, my novel can finally be finalized. * Analysis: This sentence expresses a sense of relief and accomplishment. The use of `终于 (zhōngyú - finally)` highlights the long and arduous process that precedes the **定稿** stage. * **Example 4:** * 这个设计方案还没有**定稿**，大家还可以提意见。 * Pinyin: Zhège shèjì fāng'àn hái méiyǒu **dìnggǎo**, dàjiā hái kěyǐ tí yìjiàn. * English: This design plan hasn't been finalized yet, everyone can still offer suggestions. * Analysis: A negative example showing that because it is not yet **定稿**, the document is still open for discussion and changes. * **Example 5:** * 老板，这份新闻稿**定稿**了吗？可以发布了吗？ * Pinyin: Lǎobǎn, zhè fèn xīnwéngǎo **dìnggǎo** le ma? Kěyǐ fābù le ma? * English: Boss, has this press release been finalized? Can it be published? * Analysis: This shows the typical workflow. **定稿** is the necessary step right before `发布 (fābù - to publish/release)`. * **Example 6:** * 我们开个会，把这个项目的最终细节**定稿**。 * Pinyin: Wǒmen kāi gè huì, bǎ zhège xiàngmù de zuìzhōng xìjié **dìnggǎo**. * English: Let's have a meeting to finalize the final details of this project. * Analysis: This uses the `把 (bǎ)` structure to emphasize the action of finalizing being applied to the object ("the final details"). * **Example 7:** * 这只是初稿，离**定稿**还差得远呢。 * Pinyin: Zhè zhǐshì chūgǎo, lí **dìnggǎo** hái chà de yuǎn ne. * English: This is just the first draft, it's still a long way from the final version. * Analysis: This sentence directly contrasts the first draft (`初稿 - chūgǎo`) with the final version (`定稿`), highlighting the distance between the two stages. * **Example 8:** * 在**定稿**之前，最好让法务部门再看一遍。 * Pinyin: Zài **dìnggǎo** zhīqián, zuìhǎo ràng fǎwù bùmén zài kàn yībiàn. * English: Before finalizing it, it's best to let the legal department look it over one more time. * Analysis: This shows **定稿** as a critical point-of-no-return, emphasizing the need for all necessary checks to be completed beforehand. * **Example 9:** * 一旦**定稿**，就不能再做任何大的改动了。 * Pinyin: Yīdàn **dìnggǎo**, jiù bùnéng zàizuò rènhé dà de gǎidòng le. * English: Once it's finalized, you can't make any more major changes. * Analysis: This sentence explicitly states the key consequence of **定稿**: it freezes the content. * **Example 10:** * 这个剧本是我们团队集体智慧的结晶，昨天下午刚刚**定稿**。 * Pinyin: Zhège jùběn shì wǒmen tuánduì jítǐ zhìhuì de jiéjīng, zuótiān xiàwǔ gānggāng **dìnggǎo**. * English: This script is the crystalization of our team's collective wisdom, and it was just finalized yesterday afternoon. * Analysis: This highlights the collaborative nature often associated with the **定稿** process in a professional setting. ===== Nuances and Common Mistakes ===== * **`定稿 (dìnggǎo)` vs. `完成 (wánchéng)`:** This is the most common point of confusion. `完成` means "to complete" or "to finish" and is very general. You can `完成` a first draft, `完成` your homework, or `完成` cleaning your room. **定稿** is specifically for finalizing a written document or design and implies it's the *final, approved* version. * Correct: 我**完成**了草稿。 (Wǒ wánchéng le cǎogǎo.) - I **finished** the rough draft. * Correct: 我们**定稿**了。 (Wǒmen dìnggǎo le.) - We **have the final version** / We **have finalized it**. * The first sentence implies a task is done; the second implies a definitive milestone has been reached. * **`定稿` vs. `敲定 (qiāodìng)`:** These are similar but not interchangeable. **定稿** is for written documents/manuscripts. `敲定 (qiāodìng)` means "to finalize a plan/decision" and is broader. It literally means "to hammer down." You can `敲定` a meeting time, a price, or a travel plan, but you cannot `定稿` them. * Correct: 我们**敲定**了会议日期。 (Wǒmen qiāodìng le huìyì rìqī.) - We finalized the meeting date. * Incorrect: 我们**定稿**了会议日期。 * **False Friend: "Final Draft"**: While "final draft" is a good translation, **定稿** carries a stronger weight of officialdom and "point of no return." In English, a "final draft" might still be submitted for "final comments," but a **定稿** is often the version *after* all comments have been incorporated and approved. It's the end of the line for edits. ===== Related Terms and Concepts ===== * [[草稿]] (cǎogǎo) - Rough draft. The very first, unpolished version of a document. * [[初稿]] (chūgǎo) - First draft. A more complete version than a `草稿`, but still the first in a series of revisions. * [[修改]] (xiūgǎi) - To revise, to amend, to modify. The action you perform on drafts before you can `定稿`. * [[审阅]] (shěnyuè) - To review and approve (formally). A formal examination of a document, often done by a superior or expert before it can be `定稿`. * [[审核]] (shěnhé) - To audit, to verify. Similar to `审阅`, but often with a more official or procedural connotation, like auditing an expense report. * [[敲定]] (qiāodìng) - To finalize (a plan, a deal). Used for decisions and arrangements, not typically for written manuscripts. * [[最终版]] (zuìzhōng bǎn) - The final version/edition. A very close synonym for `定稿` when used as a noun. `版 (bǎn)` literally means "version" or "edition." * [[发布]] (fābù) - To publish, to release, to issue. The action that typically happens immediately after a document has been `定稿`. * [[版本]] (bǎnběn) - Version, edition (e.g., software version, book edition). * [[完成]] (wánchéng) - To complete, to finish. A much more general term for finishing any task.