See also: [U+2010 HYPHEN], [U+2013 EN DASH], - [U+002D HYPHEN-MINUS], [U+2212 MINUS SIGN], [U+2014 EM DASH], [U+30FC KATAKANA-HIRAGANA PROLONGED SOUND MARK], [U+31D0 CJK STROKE H], [U+4E28 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4E28], [U+3127 BOPOMOFO LETTER I], [U+31AA BOPOMOFO LETTER INN], [U+3161 HANGUL LETTER EU], and [U+4EA0 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4EA0]

U+4E00, 一
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4E00
䷿
[U+4DFF]
CJK Unified Ideographs
[U+4E01]
U+2F00, ⼀
KANGXI RADICAL ONE
[unassigned: U+2EF4–U+2EFF]

[U+2EF3]
Kangxi Radicals
[U+2F01]
U+3220, ㈠
PARENTHESIZED IDEOGRAPH ONE
[unassigned: U+321F]

[U+321E]
Enclosed CJK Letters and Months
[U+3221]
U+3280, ㊀
CIRCLED IDEOGRAPH ONE

[U+327F]
Enclosed CJK Letters and Months
[U+3281]
Commons:Category
Commons:Category
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Translingual Edit

Stroke order (Sans-serif)
 
Stroke order
 

Alternative forms Edit

Han character Edit

Stroke order
 

(Kangxi radical 1, +0, 1 stroke, cangjie input (M), four-corner 10000)

  1. Kangxi radical #1, .
  2. Shuowen Jiezi radical №1

Derived characters Edit

Related characters Edit

Descendants Edit

References Edit

  • KangXi: page 75, character 1
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1
  • Dae Jaweon: page 129, character 1
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 1, character 1
  • Unihan data for U+4E00

Further reading Edit

Chinese Wikisource has digitized text of the Kangxi Dictionary entry for :

Wikisource

Chinese Edit

 
Wikipedia has articles on:
  • (Written Standard Chinese?)
  • (Cantonese)
  • (Classical)

Glyph origin Edit

Historical forms of the character
Shang Western Zhou Spring and Autumn Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Hanjian (compiled in Song) Guwen Sishengyun (compiled in Song) Jizhuan Guwen Yunhai (compiled in Song) Liushutong (compiled in Ming) Libian (compiled in Qing) Tang Stone Classics Kangxi Dictionary (compiled in Qing)
Bronze inscriptions Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Bronze inscriptions Chu slip and silk script Qin slip script Ancient script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts Transcribed ancient scripts Transcribed ancient scripts Transcribed ancient scripts Clerical script Regular script Ming typeface
                                 





References:

Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation),
which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including:

  • Shuowen Jiezi (small seal),
  • Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions),
  • Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and
  • Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Ideogram (指事): a horizontal stroke, indicating the number one.

Etymology 1 Edit

simp. and trad.
alternative forms financial
ancient
𠤪
𭍶

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ʔit. Descendants from the *ʔit etymon account for the majority of the dialectal forms for “one” in Chinese (Mandarin, Jin, Gan, Hakka, Hui, Xiang, Yue, Wu groups, etc.).

Pronunciation Edit


Note:
  • Subject to retrograde tone sandhi (see Wikipedia for details):
    • before fourth tone, pronounced with second tone;
    • before any other tone, pronounced with fourth tone;
    • when final (or at the end of a multi-syllable word), pronounced with the original tone (first tone);
    • when used in a series of numbers, as a part of a number, in dates, or in addresses, pronounced with the original tone (first tone).
  • When used between two reduplicated words, it may be pronounced with neutral tone.
  • Cantonese
  • Gan
  • Hakka
  • Jin
  • Min Bei
  • Min Dong
  • Min Nan
  • Wu
  • Xiang

    • Dialectal data
    Variety Location
    Mandarin Beijing /i⁵⁵/
    Harbin /i⁴⁴/
    Tianjin
    Jinan /i²¹³/
    Qingdao /i⁵⁵/
    Zhengzhou /i²⁴/
    Xi'an /i²¹/
    Xining /i⁴⁴/
    Yinchuan /i¹³/
    Lanzhou /i¹³/
    Ürümqi /i²¹³/
    Wuhan /i²¹³/
    Chengdu /i²¹/
    Guiyang /i²¹/
    Kunming /i⁴²/
    Nanjing /iʔ⁵/
    Hefei /ieʔ⁴/
    Jin Taiyuan /ieʔ²/
    Pingyao
    Hohhot /iəʔ³⁴/
    Wu Shanghai /iɪʔ⁵/
    Suzhou /iɪʔ⁴/
    Hangzhou /iɪʔ⁵/
    Wenzhou /iai³²³/
    /i³²³/
    Hui Shexian /i³³/
    Tunxi /iʔ⁵⁵/
    Xiang Changsha /i²⁴/
    Xiangtan /i²⁴/
    Gan Nanchang /it̚⁵/
    Hakka Meixian /it̚¹/
    Taoyuan
    Cantonese Guangzhou /jɐt̚⁵/
    Nanning /iət̚⁵/
    Hong Kong /iɐt̚⁵/
    Min Xiamen (Min Nan) /it̚³²/
    /tsit̚⁵/
    Fuzhou (Min Dong) /eiʔ²³/
    /suɔʔ⁴/
    Jian'ou (Min Bei) /i²⁴/
    /tsi⁴²/
    Shantou (Min Nan) /ik̚²/
    Haikou (Min Nan)

    Rime
    Character
    Reading # 1/1
    Initial () (34)
    Final () (48)
    Tone (調) Checked (Ø)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division () III
    Fanqie
    Baxter 'jit
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang
    /ʔiɪt̚/
    Pan
    Wuyun
    /ʔit̚/
    Shao
    Rongfen
    /ʔjet̚/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank
    /ʔit̚/
    Li
    Rong
    /ʔiĕt̚/
    Wang
    Li
    /ĭĕt̚/
    Bernard
    Karlgren
    /ʔi̯ĕt̚/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex
    yi
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex
    jat1
    BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character
    Reading # 1/1
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)
    Middle
    Chinese
    ‹ ʔjit ›
    Old
    Chinese
    /*ʔi[t]/
    English one

    Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

    * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
    * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
    * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
    * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

    * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
    Zhengzhang system (2003)
    Character
    Reading # 1/1
    No. 14833
    Phonetic
    component
    Rime
    group
    Rime
    subdivision
    2
    Corresponding
    MC rime
    Old
    Chinese
    /*qliɡ/

    Definitions Edit

    1. one
        ―  cháng duǎn  ―  one short and one long
        ―  shāng  ―  one dead, one injured
        ―  gāo   ―  one high and one low
        ―  tiān   ―  one day and one night
      [Cantonese]  ―  jat1 jat6 jat1 je6 [Jyutping]  ―  one day and one night
        ―  zuǒ yòu  ―  one left, one right
    2. each; every
      蘋果 [MSC, trad.]
      苹果 [MSC, simp.]
      Gěi tā men rén yī kē píngguǒ. [Pinyin]
      Give them an apple each.
    3. single; alone
      獨自独自  ―  dúzì rén  ―  a solitary person, one person
        ―  zhuān  ―  single-minded, monogamous
    4. whole; entire; all: throughout
      他們海灘下午 [MSC, trad.]
      他们海滩下午 [MSC, simp.]
      Tāmen zài hǎitān shàng wán le xiàwǔ. [Pinyin]
      They played the whole afternoon on the beach.
    5. same; identical
      大小  ―  dàxiǎo bù  ―  not having the same size
      大細大细 [Cantonese]  ―  daai6 sai3 bat1 jat1 [Jyutping]  ―  not having the same size
    6. (Classical Chinese) another; alternative
      蟋蟀促織蟋蟀促织  ―  Xīshuài, míng cùzhī.  ―  Crickets, also called cùzhī [lit. another name [being] cùzhī].
    7. (formal) certain aforementioned
      旋律 [MSC, trad.]
      旋律 [MSC, simp.]
      “xuánlǜ” cí zhōng de “xuán” zì [Pinyin]
      the character within the word 旋律
    8. With the verb modified reduplicated, expressing the transience of the verb:
      1. Indicating that the action has occurred only once
          ―  kàn kàn  ―  to have a look
        [Cantonese]  ―  mong6 jat1 mong6 [Jyutping]  ―  to have a look
      2. Indicating the intention to try
          ―  suàn suàn  ―  to try to calculate it
        [Cantonese]  ―  gai3 jat1 gai3 [Jyutping]  ―  to try to calculate it
    9. once; as soon as; upon
      OP  ―  dào OP jiù kǎ.  ―  It slows down once I get to the opening.
      照片立即成為眾人矚目焦點 [MSC, trad.]
      照片立即成为众人瞩目焦点 [MSC, simp.]
      pāi le zhàopiàn, tā jiù lìjí chéngwèi zhòngrén zhǔmù de jiāodiǎn. [Pinyin]
      As soon as I took a picture, she ran towards the limelight.
    10. for the first time; at the beginning
      見如故见如故  ―  jiànrúgù  ―  to hit it off
    11. surprisingly; unexpectedly
      至於此至于此  ―  zhìyúcǐ  ―  How did things ever get so far?
    12. (gay slang) top
        ―  hào  ―  a top
    13. (Cantonese, cant, euphemistic) to die
    Usage notes Edit
    Synonyms Edit
    Alternative forms Edit
    • (top): 1
    See also Edit
    Chinese numbers
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 102 103 104 108 1012
    Normal
    (小寫小写)
    ,
    十千 (Malaysia, Singapore)
    亿 (Taiwan)
    萬億万亿 (Mainland China)
    Financial
    (大寫大写)

    Quotations Edit

    For quotations using this term, see Citations:一.

    Compounds Edit

    Descendants Edit

    Sino-Xenic ():
    • Japanese: (いち) (ichi); (いつ) (itsu)
    • Okinawan: (いち) (ichi)
    • Korean: 일(一) (il)
    • Jeju: (il)
    • Vietnamese: nhất ()

    Others:

    Etymology 2 Edit

    simp. and trad.

    Pronunciation Edit

    Definitions Edit

    1. (music) Kunqu gongche notation for the note low ti (7̣).
    Synonyms Edit
    • (Cantonese opera)

    Derived terms Edit

    Etymology 3 Edit

    simp. and trad.
    alternative forms

    Form used as the colloquial reading for “one” in most Min varieties: Fuzhou/Fuding suoʔ8, Fuqing θyo8, Gutian syøʔ8, Ningde søʔ8, Zhouning sɔʔ8, Putian ɬoʔ8, Xiamen/Quanzhou/Yongchun/Zhangzhou tsit̚8, Leizhou/Haikou ziak8, Longyan tse4, Youxi ɕie7, Jian'ou/Songxi tsi5, Jianyang tsi8. Whether all of the forms above are related and their origins remain unelucidated; they may be derived from (cf. (single, alone); often written when read with the colloquial reading), (< *tjak ~ g-t(j)ik) or . Some Fujian dialects use and for “one”.

    Pronunciation Edit


    Definitions Edit

    (Min)

    1. one
    2. each; every
    3. whole; entire; all

    Etymology 4 Edit

    simp. and trad.

    Contraction of 一個 (yī gè) (Zhou, 1998).

    Pronunciation Edit


    Definitions Edit

    1. (Beijing) one
    Usage notes Edit
    • This is pronounced as regardless of the succeeding tone (Tao, 2002). It is grammatically different from other tone sandhis of ; it is used directly with a nominal without a classifier.

    References Edit

    Japanese Edit

    Kanji Edit

    (grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    Readings Edit

    Compounds Edit