Meaning
一 is the number 'one' and the most fundamental character in Chinese. Beyond counting, it serves as an indefinite article (like 'a/an' in English) and appears in countless compound words and expressions. Its tone changes based on what follows: it becomes second tone (yí) before fourth tone sounds, and fourth tone (yì) before first, second, or third tone sounds.
Usage
Native speakers use 一 constantly in everyday speech for counting, as part of measure word phrases (一个人 'one person'), and in set expressions. When counting aloud or reading numbers, it's pronounced as first tone (yī), but in natural speech before measure words, the tone shifts according to tone sandhi rules. It's also used idiomatically to mean 'as soon as' (一...就...) or 'whole/entire' (一天 'the whole day').
Examples
- 01我有一个问题。.I have a question.
- 02我们一起去吧。.Let's go together.
Common collocations
- 一个one (general measure word)
- 一点儿a little bit
- 一起together
- 一下a bit, briefly
Antonyms
Origin
一 is one of the oldest Chinese characters, originally a simple horizontal line representing the number one. It appears in oracle bone inscriptions dating back over 3,000 years.