Chinese word

一定

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī dìng

Meaning

  • adverbdefinitely

Example

你一定会成功。nǐ yí dìng huì chéng gōng

You will definitely succeed.

Illustration for 一定 (definitely)

More examples

出门一定要带伞。chū mén yí dìng yào dài sǎn

When you go out, you must bring an umbrella.

Core concept

A result stands firmly in place, or a requirement is treated as fixed.

Common phrases

  • 一定会yí dìng huì

    will surely

  • 一定要yí dìng yào

    must

  • 一定能yí dìng néng

    will surely be able to

Similar words

肯定kěn dìng: Expresses firm confidence that a statement is certainly true.
确实què shí: Confirms that something is truly the case as a matter of fact.

Definition in Chinese

用来表示某事确实如此或必然会发生，常用于表示结果或强调要求。yòng lái biǎo shì mǒu shì què shí rú cǐ huò bì rán huì fā shēng cháng yòng yú biǎo shì jié guǒ huò qiáng diào yāo qiú

Word origin

一定 (yīdìng, "definitely") combines 一 (yī, "one") with 定 (dìng, "fixed"), giving the image of one settled outcome.

Usage tips

  • The negative form 不一定 (bù yīdìng, "not necessarily") means that an outcome is still possible but not certain, rather than simply reversing every part of the sentence.

Other meanings

  • surelyadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word