Chinese word

一下

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī xià

Meaning

  • particlefor a moment

Example

你等一下，我去拿。nǐ děng yí xià wǒ qù ná

Wait for a moment. I will go get it.

Illustration for 一下 (for a moment)

More examples

你能帮我看一下这个问题吗？nǐ néng bāng wǒ kàn yí xià zhè ge wèn tí ma

Can you help me take a look at this problem?

Core concept

A tiny boundary around an action: it happens for a short time or only one time.

Common phrases

  • 等一下děng yí xià

    wait a moment

  • 看一下kàn yí xià

    take a look

  • 试一下shì yí xià

    have a try

  • 问一下wèn yí xià

    ask briefly

Similar words

一下儿yí xiàr: A spoken particle marking one brief action or a short pause.

Definition in Chinese

表示短时间的动作或一次性行为，常跟在动词后作补语以表示做某事一会儿，也可独立用于口语表示请别人稍等。biǎo shì duǎn shí jiān de dòng zuò huò yí cì xìng xíng wéi cháng gēn zài dòng cí hòu zuò bú yǔ yǐ biǎo shì zuò mǒu shì yí huìr yě kě dú lì yòng yú kóu yǔ biǎo shì qǐng bié rén shāo děng

Word origin

一 (yī, "one") + 下 (xià, "down") joins a number with a movement measure, which develops into a way to mark one quick or short action.

Usage tips

  • The same word can stand alone in spoken Chinese as a gentle signal to pause, while English usually needs a phrase such as "wait a moment" instead of one short particle.

Other meanings

  • a littleadverb
  • onceadverb

Related words

Word lists with this word