commonplace ■ 他的学习成绩一般。 Tā de xuéxí chéngjì yìbān. His school record is average. 3
same as, as ... as ■ 哥哥长得和爸爸一般高了。 Gēge zhǎng de hé bàba yìbān gāo le. My elder
brother is now as tall as Daddy.
yíbèizi 一辈子 N one’s entire life
yìbiān 一边 N one side ■ 在这场争论中，我站在 你们一边。Zài zhè chǎng zhēnglùn zhōng, wǒ zhàn
zài nǐmen yìbiān. In this debate I am on your side.
yìbiān ...
yìbiān ... 一边 ... 一边 ... CONJ while ... at the same time ■ 不少大学生一边学 习一边工作。Bùshǎo
dàxuéshēng yìbiān xuéxí yìbiān gōngzuò. Quite a few university students study and work at the
same time.
NOTE: 一边 ... 一边 ... yìbiān ... yìbiān ... links two verbs to indicate that the two actions denoted by the verbs
take place simultaneously. Another example: ■ 他常常一边做作业一边听音乐。 Tā chángcháng yìbiān zuò zuòyè
yìbiān tīng yīnyuè. He often does his homework while listening to music. When the verbs are monosyllabic, 边 ... 边 ...
biān ... biān ... may be used instead of 一边 ... 一边 ... yìbiān ... yìbiān ..., e.g. ■ 孩子们边走边唱。 Háizimen biān
zǒu biān chàng. The children sang while walking. ■ 我们边吃边谈吧。 Wǒmen biān chī biān tán ba. Let’s carry on the
conversation while eating.
yìdàn 一旦 CONJ once, some day ■ 一旦有她的消 息，马上告诉我。yīdàn yǒu tāde xiāoxi, mǎshàng
gàosu wǒ. Once you’ve got news about her, let me know immediately.
yídào 一道 ADV same as 一起 yìqǐ
yìdiǎnr 一点儿 N a tiny amount, a bit ■ 那个菜不 好吃，我只吃了一点儿。Nàge cài bù hǎo chī, wǒ
zhǐ chīle yìdiǎnr. That dish is not tasty. I ate only a tiny bit of it.
yídìng 一定 ADJ 1 fixed, specified ■ 他吃饭没有一 定的时间。Tā chīfàn méiyǒu yídìng de shíjiān. He
has no fixed mealtimes. 2 to a certain degree, fair, limited ■ 你的中文已经达到了一定水平。Nǐ de
Zhōngwén yǐjīng dádàole yídìng shuǐpíng. You’ve already reached a certain level of proficiency in
Chinese. 3 certainly, definitely ■ 我们的目标一定 能达到。Wǒmen de mùbiāo yídìng néng
dádào. We can certainly reach our goal.
yídù 一度 ADV once, for a time ■ 他一度得过忧郁 症。Tā yīdù dé guò yōuyùzhèng. He once suffered
from depression.
yì fān fēng shùn 一帆风顺 IDIOM all plain sailing
yìfāngmiàn ...
yìfāngmiàn ... 一方面 ... 一 方面 ... CONJ on the one hand ... on the other hand ... ■ 我们一方面要发
展经济，一方面要保 护环境。Wǒmen yìfāngmiàn yào fāzhǎn jīngjì, yìfāngmiàn yào bǎohù
huánjìng. We should on the one hand develop the economy and on the other hand protect the
environment.
yígòng 一共 ADJ in all, total, altogether ■ 你们学 校一共有多少学生？Nǐmen xuéxiào yígòng yǒu
duōshǎo xuésheng? How many students are there altogether in your school? (→ What is the total
number of students in your school?) ■ 我们去年 一共学了五百二十个汉字。Wǒmen qùnián
yígòng xuéle wǔbǎi érshí ge Hànzì. Last year we learned 520 Chinese characters in total.
yíguàn 一贯 ADV all along, always
yíhuìr 一会儿 ADV in a very short time, in a moment ■ 不用麻烦倒茶，我一会儿就走。Bú yòng máfan
dào chá, wǒ yíhuìr jiù zǒu. Please don’t bother making tea. I’ll be leaving in a moment. ■ 他只休
息了一会儿，就又干起来了。Tā zhǐ xiūxile yíhuìr, jiù yòu gàn qǐlai le. He took only a brief
break and started working again.
yī ...
jiù ... 一 ... 就 ... CONJ as soon as, no sooner ... than ... ■ 妈妈一回家，就做晚饭。 Māma yì huíjiā,
jiù zuò wǎnfàn. Mom cooks supper as soon as she gets back home. ■ 我一上火 车，车就开了。
Wǒ yí shàng huǒchē, chē jiù kāi le. No sooner did I board the train than it started.
yì jǔ liǎng dé 一举两得 IDIOM gain two ends at once, kill two birds with one stone
yíkuàir 一块儿 ADV same as 一起 yìqǐ. Tends to be used in colloquial Chinese.