“基层”是报刊、杂志和网络最为常见的字眼。“基层”如何表达？看下面新华网一则关于十七大的相关报道。

An increase in the number of delegates to the Party congress next year will help improve the representation of grass-roots workers, an official said Sunday.

"Leaders and cadres generally should not constitute more than 70 per cent of the delegates, while those from the grass-roots level should not be less than 30 per cent."

报道说，十七大的一大举措是提高了生产和工作一线代表的比例，要求来自基层的代表比例不得少于30%。

“基层”相应的英文表达是“grass roots”，报道中的“grass-roots”是其形容词形式。“grass roots”常泛指“群众”或“一般选民”，如：The oligarchic regime seems to be losing contact with the grass roots.（那个寡头政权看来正在渐渐脱离民众。）

Grass-roots做形容词时除表示“基层的”，还可用来形容“基础的，根本的”，如a grass-roots solution（根本的解决办法）。