General manager (zǒngjīnglǐ) is a senior corporate title referring to the top executive responsible for overall operations of a company or major division. The character 总 (zǒng) means 'overall' or 'chief', emphasizing authority and breadth of responsibility; 经 (jīng) comes from 'manage' or 'administer' (as in 经营 jīngyíng, 'to manage a business'); and 理 (lǐ) means 'to manage', 'to handle', or 'to administer'. Together, they form a compound noun denoting the highest-level managerial role beneath the CEO or board, commonly used in formal business contexts across China and other Chinese-speaking regions.

The term appears frequently in company hierarchies, official documents, business meetings, and news reports about corporate leadership. It is gender-neutral and carries formal register — not used in casual conversation unless discussing workplace roles specifically. In state-owned enterprises and private firms alike, the zǒngjīnglǐ typically oversees finance, HR, production, and strategy, reporting directly to the board or chairman.