Chinese word

大包大揽

Pronunciation

Pinyindà bāo dà lǎn

Meaning

  • idiomhandle everything oneself

Example

经理把项目大包大揽了。jīng lǐ bǎ xiàng mù dà bāo dà lǎn le

The manager handled the whole project himself.

Illustration for 大包大揽 (handle everything oneself)

More examples

在紧急情况下，他又一次把任务大包大揽，加班到深夜。zài jǐn jí qíng kuàng xià tā yòu yí cì bǎ rèn wù dà bāo dà lǎn jiā bān dào shēn yè

In an emergency, he once again handled the entire task himself and worked overtime until late at night.

Core concept

One person gathers every task into one pair of hands and carries full responsibility.

Common phrases

  • 把任务大包大揽bǎ rèn wù dà bāo dà lǎn

    handle the entire task oneself

  • 把责任大包大揽bǎ zé rèn dà bāo dà lǎn

    shoulder the entire responsibility oneself

Similar words

统揽全局tóng lǎn quán jú: Managing the whole situation and being responsible for its overall direction and results.
一手包办yì shǒu bāo bàn: Taking care of an entire matter alone, from the first step through to the last.
亲力亲为qīn lì qīn wéi: Taking a hands-on role by personally carrying out the work rather than having others do it.
身兼数职shēn jiān shù zhí: Serving in several positions at once and fulfilling the duties attached to each one.

Definition in Chinese

把多项工作或事务集中由一人承担并全面负责，不将任务分散给他人。bǎ duō xiàng gōng zuò huò shì wù jí zhōng yóu yì rén chéng dān bìng quán miàn fù zé bù jiāng rèn wù fēn sàn gěi tā rén

Word origin

The idiom combines 包 (bāo, "to take on") + 揽 (lǎn, "to gather into one's grasp"), with 大 (dà, "great") repeated to stress the large range of matters taken on.

Usage tips

  • In everyday Chinese, this idiom can sound critical, suggesting that one person is taking on too much instead of sharing the work.

Other meanings

  • take charge of everythingidiom
  • shoulder all the burdenidiom

Opposites

  • 分工合作fēn gōng hé zuòshare the work and cooperateidiom
  • 各尽其责gè jǐn qí zéeach fulfill one's dutyidiom

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