# 包含 / 包括



## Matisse2

大家好
我在准备hsk五级但是有一些词语意思不太明白。 比如说包含和包括的区别。 
我在网站找到了一个和有意思的例子但是我还没明白了。

老师  _Imagine we have A, B, C three circles. If A and B circles are inside the C circle, we can say that C “包含” A and B. If A and B circles are not inside the C circle but belong to C, we can say that C “包括” A and B.
_
1）图书馆里的书（ ）英文的和汉语的。

2）你的房费不（ ）早餐。

The first key is 包括 and the second one is 包含...but why?  actually I'm quite confused about this difference!


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## retrogradedwithwind

In my point of view those two words are nearly, if not totally, interchangeable. I can accept either 包含 or 包括 as the key of two questions. It is nearly impossible to tell inside from belong to.

But yes it's better to say C包含A和B to describe the situation of A and B are inside C.


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## Matisse2

Thank you.

The fact is that I don't understand the difference explained by my teacher.
I tried to paint something ....is it right?


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## retrogradedwithwind

I think I know now why it's better to say A包含B和C.

In mathematic there is a term "contain", and it is rendered as 包含.
A包含B
A contains B. Bis a subset of A.

Apart from that I think those two words are interchangeable.


As for your confusion, the below picture is C包含A和B in the sense of mathematic.


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## brofeelgood

I concur with rww's reasoning. When it's used to denote "include/cover", either one is possible.
房费不包含早餐。 = 房费不包括早餐。 = The room rate does not include/cover breakfast.
售价不包含运费。 = 售价不包括运费。 = The selling price does not include/cover delivery charges.

However, only 包括 can be used in situations where "including" is implied. See #6.
所有的人，包括我在内，都希望你快乐。 = Everyone, including me, wishes for you to be happy. 

Your first picture (包含) suggests C = A + B only, and the second (包括) C = A + B + <something else>. I don't agree with these definitions, but let's see what the others have to say about them.


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## retrogradedwithwind

Hello Bro, I think it's ok to say 所有人，包含我在内，都希望我快乐。

Baidu tells me there are 133000 results containing 包含我在内.


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## brofeelgood

retrogradedwithwind said:


> Hello Bro, I think it's ok to say 所有人，包含我在内，都希望我快乐。
> 
> Baidu tells me there are 133000 results containing 包含我在内.



I'd never say that myself, but gosh, you're right! Thanks for pointing it out.


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## retrogradedwithwind

brofeelgood said:


> I'd never say that myself, but gosh, you're right! Thanks for pointing it out.


yeah, everyone has his own preference


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## fyl

I agree with others that the rule is not strict. But to me there is indeed a difference between 包含 and 包括 (may be just preferences, not strictly right or wrong).
I would clearly prefer 包括 over 包含 in 图书馆里的书（ ）英文的和汉语的 and 所有人（ ）我在内. But for 你的房费不（ ）早餐, both 包含 and 包括 sound correct.
Rules of thumb:
If "C" is *one thing* and "A", "B" are *parts* of it, use 包含.
If "C" is *several things* and "A", "B" are *among* them, use 包括.
Again, it's not strict. And in fact sometimes "C" can be considered as either one thing or several things.


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## hongyang

Normally, 包括 = 包含 there is no difference~ so you can use either 包含 or 包括.


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## ktdd

In my opinion, 包含 has a stricter meaning. It can only be used when C 'contains' A/B.
In 图书馆的书（ ）英文的和汉语的, there are English/Chinese books that are not in the library. 图书馆的英文书 is a intersection of 图书馆的书 and 英文的书. They are different categorizations. 包含 does not apply here.
If 你的房费（ ）早餐, all your 早餐的费用 will be covered by 房费. A is part of C. So 包含 is good here. Though I agree with others that 包括 is also correct.


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## Skatinginbc

Matisse2 said:


> If A and B circles are _*inside*_ the C circle, we can say that C “包含” A and B.


含 (with a 口 'mouth' radical) 'hold' as in 含在嘴里 "to hold something *inside* the mouth".
若有怠慢，請多包含 ==> able to 'hold inside' (宰相肚里能撑船).


Matisse2 said:


> _If A and B circles are not inside the C circle but *belong* *to* C, we can say that C “包括” A and B._


括 (with a 手 'hand' radical) 'to gather things up and tie them in a bundle' as in 搜括 'to take things from others as one's own * belongings*'.
總括而言 ==> to take all things into consideration (as if to tie them in a bundle).

Difference in nuance: 包含 'have or hold something within' vs. 包括 'comprise as part of a whole'

你的房费不包含早餐 (The breakfast is not covered in the price).
你的房费不包括早餐 (The breakfast is not included in the price).

图书馆里的书包含英文的和汉语的。==> I don't like this sentence.
图书馆里的书包括英文的和汉语的。==> OK.


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## tigery6

包含和包括有什么区别——从定义、基本解释、使用对象等不同角度来看，“包含”所涉及的范围比“包括”更广，但“包括”使用对象比“包含”更具体。
　　1、从定义上来看
　　包含是集合与集合之间的关系，也叫子集关系。基本含义近同蕴含、蕴涵、包涵，关系形容词。除了日常用语“含有”和“包涵”意思之外，还是概率名词，表示集合与集合之间的关系。
　　包括是现代汉语词汇，表示包含，含有。只是日常用语，包含、总括的意思。
　　2、从基本解释来看
　　包含：（1）包容含有。（2） 犹包涵。宽容，原谅。
　　包括：包含、总括。
　　3、从使用对象来看
　　包含：相对抽象。
　　包括：相对具体，可以用于具体的人或事。
This is from Baidu Zhidao. The first one is about maths, just ignore it. The second is the definition. I think what you need is the third one. 包含is more abstract while 包括is more specific.


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## Matisse2

Sorry but it's not totally clear to me.
According to this definition
_If "C" is *one thing* and "A", "B" are *parts* of it, use 包含.
If "C" is *several things* and "A", "B" are *among* them, use 包括.
_
This following sentence should be : 今天去吃火锅的老师_包括._黄老师 but the key word says _包含._ In this case there are many teachers who go to eat huopo, so he is one of them ("among them"). So for what reason we have to use 包含?


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## brofeelgood

Maybe you missed this part: 


fyl said:


> Again, it's not strict.



I'm slowly coming to accept that both are interchangeable in such expressions, but I still have a preference for 包括 in the 火锅 sentence.

And before I forget, best of luck for your HSK5级 exam!


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## Skatinginbc

Matisse2 said:


> 今天去吃火锅的老师_包括._黄老师 but the key word says _包含._


今天去吃火锅的老师们 (a number of individuals), 包括黄老师 (specific one among them), 都说不好吃.
今天去吃火锅的一票人 (a single group of people)包含了黄老师 (part of the whole).


brofeelgood said:


> I still have a preference for 包括 in the 火锅 sentence.


Agree.  I automatically interpreted 老师 in 今天去吃火锅的老师 as 老师们 "teachers" (plural) when I first read that sentence.  After knowing that "包含" was intended to be the key, I realized that what it tried to say was actually "a group (of teachers)" (一群、一伙).


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## rikemans

Matisse2 said:


> 大家好
> 我在准备hsk五级但是有一些词语意思不太明白。 比如说包含和包括的区别。
> 我在网站找到了一个和有意思的例子但是我还没明白了。
> 
> 老师  _Imagine we have A, B, C three circles. If A and B circles are inside the C circle, we can say that C “包含” A and B. If A and B circles are not inside the C circle but belong to C, we can say that C “包括” A and B.
> _
> 1）图书馆里的书（ ）英文的和汉语的。
> 
> 2）你的房费不（ ）早餐。
> 
> The first key is 包括 and the second one is 包含...but why?  actually I'm quite confused about this difference!



In this case, there is no difference using 包含 包括


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## fyl

I prefer 包括 in the 火锅 sentence too.


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## tigery6

What you mentioned here is correct. However, there's one more rule. 包括可以是人和物， 包含只能是物，不能是人.


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## brofeelgood

tigery6 said:


> 包含只能是物，不能是人.


I used to think the same thing (up to #5)... but after reading *retrogradedwithwind*'s post in #6 and doing some personal (albeit quick and primitive) research, I'm not so sure any more.

Edit: In fact, I'm rather convinced otherwise.


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## chinoisautodidacte

我去，我是中国人自己都不知道有个毛的区别。意思都一样，看使用习惯的吧。有的用的少这么说了就挺怪的，仅此而已。


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## Youngfun

Matisse2 said:


> Sorry but it's not totally clear to me.
> According to this definition
> _If "C" is *one thing* and "A", "B" are *parts* of it, use 包含.
> If "C" is *several things* and "A", "B" are *among* them, use 包括._



More like:
_If "C" is *one thing* and "A", "B" are *inside* it, use 包含.
If "C" is *several things* and "A", "B" are *particular kinds of C*, use 包括.

1）你的房费不*包含*早餐。_
If you change the sentence to passive form, maybe you can understand better:
The breakfast is not included *in* the room fee (in italiano: la colazione non è inclusa *nel* prezzo della camera).
Here there's a "big C", and A and B are contained inside C.
_
2）图书馆里的书*包括*英文的和汉语的。_
Let's see: first you talk about *books*: then you say that there are English and Chinese *books*.
Here there are many things that are "C", but A and B are also "C", just with a particular conditions (they are all books, but A is English books, and B is Chinese books).


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## Jacob D.

你好Matesse

我不知道这两个词为什么要做区分，因为生活里我们从来不区分这两个词的用法

唯一一点小区别可能是：包含用在数学的子集和集合的关系里，as 'contain' in the concept of Set in mathematics，besides, 包含还有“包涵”，to understand and forgive 的意思

包括就是包括，没什么好解释的；好多次我听台湾人讲“包括”，他们的发音是“包瓜”


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