Chinese word

一边

Pronunciation

Pinyinyī biān

Meaning

  • conjunctionwhile

Example

我们一边吃饭，一边看电视。wǒ men yì biān chī fàn yì biān kàn diàn shì

We eat while watching TV.

Illustration for 一边 (while)

More examples

孩子们一边唱歌，一边跳舞。hái zi men yì biān chàng gē yì biān tiào wǔ

The children sing while dancing.

Core concept

Two actions run side by side at the same time, usually with one subject carrying out both.

Common phrases

  • 一边吃饭yì biān chī fàn

    while eating

  • 一边学汉语yì biān xué hàn yǔ

    while learning Chinese

  • 一边说话yì biān shuō huà

    while speaking

Similar words

同时tóng shí: Shows that two actions or events happen simultaneously.

Definition in Chinese

表示两个动作同时进行，通常由同一主语发出，口语常用，强调过程的并行性。biǎo shì liǎng gè dòng zuò tóng shí jìn xíng tōng cháng yóu tóng yì zhú yǔ fā chū kóu yǔ cháng yòng qiáng diào guò chéng de bìng xíng xìng

Word origin

一 (yī, "one") + 边 (biān, "side") first gives the idea of one side, then extends to actions taking place alongside each other.

Usage tips

  • The same subject normally does both actions, so a sentence with two different doers needs a different linking structure.

Other meanings

  • sidenoun

Word lists with this word