Chinese word

唯独

Pronunciation

Pinyinwéi dú

Meaning

  • adverbonly

Example

他们都有手机，唯独我没有。tā men dōu yǒu shǒu jī wéi dú wǒ méi yǒu

They all have cell phones; I am the only one without one.

Illustration for 唯独 (only)

More examples

会议讨论很热烈，唯独他一句话都没说。huì yì tǎo lùn hěn rè liè wéi dú tā yí jù huà dōu méi shuō

The discussion at the meeting was lively, but he alone did not say a word.

Core concept

A group follows one pattern while a single member is marked as the exception.

Common phrases

  • 唯独没有wéi dú méi yǒu

    be the only one without

  • 唯独一人wéi dú yì rén

    only one person

  • 唯独成为例外wéi dú chéng wéi lì wài

    be the only exception

Similar words

只有zhí yǒu: Shows that one person, thing, or condition alone meets a stated requirement.
只是zhǐ shì: Means merely or just, focusing on one point without including additional circumstances or causes.

Definition in Chinese

唯独 表示在一组人或事物中只存在一个例外，强调与其他不同或仅此一例。wéi dú biǎo shì zài yì zǔ rén huò shì wù zhōng zhǐ cún zài yí gè lì wài qiáng diào yǔ qí tā bù tóng huò jǐn cǐ yí lì

Word origin

唯 (wéi, "only") + 独 (dú, "alone") combines two ideas of singling out and being alone, creating a strong sense of one exception in a group.

Usage tips

  • English only can simply limit a choice, while this adverb singles out the one person or thing that differs from the rest.

Opposites

Word lists with this word