包括
to include; to comprise
bāokuò
What does 包括 mean?
包括 (bāokuò) is a verb meaning 'to include' or 'to comprise' — it introduces the members contained within a larger whole. It typically sits between the whole and its parts: 团队包括三个人 ('the team includes three people'). Unlike English 'include,' 包括 is not used for physical enclosure (you cannot 包括 a letter in an envelope); for that Chinese uses 装 or 附.
包括 is also frequently paired with 在内 for emphasis: 包括我在内 ('including me'). English speakers should note that 包括 lists constituent parts of a set, so it naturally precedes an enumeration, and it can stand alone as a full verb without a complement the way 'include' sometimes cannot. It is neutral in register and equally at home in speech, reports, and legal text.
Note: Works in both spoken and written Chinese, but appears especially often in formal writing, lists, contracts, and explanations. There is no register-marked casual equivalent.
Character breakdown
to wrap; to contain; bundle
to enclose; to bracket; to draw together
Memory hook: 包 (wrap) + 括 (enclose): to wrap-and-enclose things together is to include them.
Example sentences
这个价钱包括早餐吗？
Zhège jiàqián bāokuò zǎocān ma?
Does this price include breakfast?
spoken
我们班包括老师一共二十个人。
Wǒmen bān bāokuò lǎoshī yígòng èrshí gè rén.
Our class, including the teacher, has twenty people in total.
neutral
服务费不包括在里面。
Fúwùfèi bù bāokuò zài lǐmiàn.
The service fee is not included.
neutral
计划包括三个主要部分。
Jìhuà bāokuò sān gè zhǔyào bùfen.
The plan comprises three main parts.
written
Common phrases with 包括
Synonyms
含 ('to contain') is more literal and often used for substances or hidden content: 这道菜含很多盐 ('this dish contains a lot of salt'). 包括 lists explicit members of a set; 含 states what something holds inside.
包含 leans slightly more abstract — containing qualities, meaning, or emotions (这句话包含深意). 包括 is the everyday choice for listing concrete items or people.
Don't confuse 包括 with
包含 and 包括 overlap, but 包含 stresses containing something abstract within (emotions, meaning), while 包括 stresses enumerating concrete members. For a list of people or items, use 包括.
括号 means 'brackets/parentheses' — the punctuation. It shares the character 括 but is a noun about symbols, not a verb about inclusion.
FAQ
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