Chinese word

以防万一

Pronunciation

Pinyinyǐ fáng wàn yī

Meaning

  • conjunctionjust in case

Example

他留了号码，以防万一。tā liú le hào mǎ yǐ fáng wàn yī

He left the number just in case.

Illustration for 以防万一 (just in case)

More examples

她带了雨伞，以防万一。tā dài le yú sǎn yǐ fáng wàn yī

She brought an umbrella just in case.

Core concept

A backup arranged before an uncertain problem appears.

Common phrases

  • 带伞以防万一dài sǎn yǐ fáng wàn yī

    take an umbrella just in case

  • 留个号码以防万一liú gè hào mǎ yǐ fáng wàn yī

    leave a phone number just in case

  • 备份文件以防万一bèi fèn wén jiàn yǐ fáng wàn yī

    back up files just in case

Similar words

以防yǐ fáng: Used when taking an advance precaution against a possible problem.
万一wàn yī: Used to imagine the possibility of an extremely rare event.
以免yí miǎn: Used to show that an action is meant to keep an unwanted outcome from happening.
免得miǎn de: Used to explain doing something now so an unwanted result can be avoided later.

Definition in Chinese

表示为了防止可能发生的意外或突发情况而事先做准备或采取防范措施。biǎo shì wèi le fáng zhǐ kě néng fā shēng de yì wài huò tū fā qíng kuàng ér shì xiān zuò zhǔn bèi huò cái qǔ fáng fàn cuò shī

Word origin

The formation 以 (yǐ, "for") + 防 (fáng, "prevent") + 万 (wàn, "ten thousand") + 一 (yī, "one") links advance protection with a chance so small it is treated as exceptional.

Usage tips

  • In conversation, the shortened form 以防 (yǐfáng, "to guard against") is common when the surrounding context already supplies the unlikely risk.

Other meanings

  • in case of an emergencyconjunction

Word lists with this word