Chinese word

一度

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī dù

Meaning

  • adverbonce

Example

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.

Illustration for 一度 (once)

More examples

她一度忘记了会议时间，后来才赶到。tā yí dù wàng jì le huì yì shí jiān hòu lái cái gǎn dào

She once forgot the meeting time and arrived only later.

Core concept

A single point in an earlier stretch of time, viewed as a temporary state rather than a lasting condition.

Common phrases

  • 一度忘记yí dù wàng jì

    once forget

  • 一度离开yí dù lí kāi

    once leave

Similar words

曾经céng jīng: Once in the past, referring to an experience or event that happened before now.
一时yì shí: For a while, describing a temporary state, feeling, or condition.

Definition in Chinese

表示过去曾短暂发生过一次的副词，通常用来描述一时的想法、判断或经历，语气上偏向回忆或曾经的意味。biǎo shì guò qù céng duǎn zàn fā shēng guò yí cì de fù cí tōng cháng yòng lái miáo shù yì shí de xiáng fǎ pàn duàn huò jīng lì yǔ qì shàng piān xiàng huí yì huò céng jīng de yì wèi

Word origin

The components 一 (yī, "one") and 度 (dù, "occasion") give 一度 (yīdù, "once") the basic idea of a single occasion, which Chinese uses to frame a past experience or state.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, this word often appears with verbs for beliefs and feelings, marking a view that later changed rather than a belief that still holds.

Other meanings

  • formerlyadverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word