Dictionary entry
universal proposition
noun
全称命题
a statement or proposition that asserts something about all members of a class
In use
In formal logic, a universal proposition like 'All humans are mortal' can be tested with a single counterexample.
The teacher asked us to identify whether each statement was a universal proposition or an existential one.
To prove a universal proposition false, you only need to find one exception.
prove a universal proposition
The mathematician proved the universal proposition.
数学家证明了这个全称命题。
state a universal proposition
全称命题通常用∀量词表示。
In logic, one states a universal proposition using quantifiers.
在逻辑学中，人们使用量词来陈述全称命题。
a universal proposition about {something}
He formulated a universal proposition about prime numbers.
他提出了一个关于质数的全称命题。
Connections
Confusing words
- particular proposition
- 特称命题 · 全称命题（universal proposition）指对全类所有成员做断定，而特称命题（particular proposition）只对部分成员做断定。
- existential proposition
- 存在命题 · 全称命题（universal proposition）断定所有成员具有某种属性，而存在命题（existential proposition）断定至少有一个成员具有该属性。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT.