一

yī

HSK 1

一 — yī

1. one (the number 1)

   家里只有一只猫陪着我。 jiālǐ zhǐyǒu yīzhī māo péi zhe wǒ — There is only one cat at home keeping me company.

2. single; one; alone (used as modifier: single / sole / only)

   他是一名一线记者。 tā shì yīmíng yīxiàn jìzhě — He is a frontline reporter.

3. a (indefinite article before a noun) — used like 'a' or 'an' in English

   给我一杯水。 gěi wǒ yībēi shuǐ — Give me a glass of water.

4. as soon as; once (used before a clause to mean 'once/when')

   一到家我就给你打电话。 yī dào jiā wǒ jiù gěi nǐ dǎdiànhuà — As soon as I get home I'll call you.

5. entire; whole; all; throughout (used in compounds/phrases)

   这是一整天的会议。 zhè shì yīzhěngtiān de huìyì — This is a whole-day meeting.

6. the 'one' radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pronounced 'yao1' when spelling numbers digit-by-digit for clarity

   请把电话号码里的一念成幺，避免听错。 qǐng bǎ diànhuàhàomǎ lǐ de yī niànchéng yāo bìmiǎn tīngcuò — Please read 'one' in the phone number as 'yāo' to avoid mishearing.