English–Chinese
“once” in Chinese
How to say “once” in Chinese
“Once” in Chinese is 一旦 (yī dàn).
A narrow time gate: once an event crosses it, the next result follows, or a temporary state begins.
Example sentences with 一旦
一旦决定了，就不要后悔。yí dàn jué dìng le jiù bú yào hòu huǐ
Once you've decided, don't regret it.
Tips for using 一旦
- English can use one form for a past event and for a condition, but this Chinese adverb usually signals a condition or a limited state, so the surrounding context matters.
Other Chinese words for “once”
我曾住在北京。wǒ céng zhù zài běi jīng
I once lived in Beijing.
我一度以为他不来了。wǒ yí dù yǐ wéi tā bù lái le
I once thought he wasn't coming.
我已经见过她一次。wǒ yǐ jīng jiàn guò tā yí cì
I have already seen her once.
他试了一番才明白。tā shì le yì fān cái míng bái
He tried it once, and only then did he understand.
一经同意，他就会参加。yì jīng tóng yì tā jiù huì cān jiā
Once he agrees, he will take part.
他曾经住在北京。tā céng jīng zhù zài běi jīng
He once lived in Beijing.
请你把这句话念一遍。qǐng nǐ bǎ zhè jù huà niàn yí biàn
Please read this sentence once.