HSK 3 · Function Words

一边 yìbiān “one side” in Chinese

Traditional 一邊

What 一边 means

  1. one side
  2. on one hand
  3. at same time
  4. either side
  5. on the one hand
More meanings from CC-CEDICT
  • on the other hand
  • doing while

How to say 一边

  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale一yì4th tone, falling
  • Pitch chart of the first tone: stays high and level, 5 to 5 on the five-level scale边biān1st tone, high and level

Tone change. 一 is yī on its own. Before a fourth tone it becomes yí, and before the other tones yì. Textbooks write the change in, as here. How tone changes work

一边 in a sentence

  1. 他们一边唱歌一边走路。

    Tāmen yìbiān chànggē yìbiān zǒulù.

    They sang as they walked.

    Sentence #348196 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 他们一边嗑瓜子，一边打牌。

    Tāmen yìbiān kè guāzǐ, yìbiān dǎpái.

    They crack sunflower seeds while playing cards.

    Sentence #380558 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  3. 她把我拉到一边。

    Tā bǎ wǒ lā dào yìbiān.

    She pulled me aside.

    Sentence #2242083 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

How 一边 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 一 (yī) drawn as one shape
一yīoneyì in 一边

一 is a single shape of 1 stroke. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.

Memory aidOne stroke for one, the way people once counted with rods.

The character 边 (biān) with each of its parts in a different colour
边biānside
  • 力strength · lì
  • 辶walking form of 辵 · chuòMeaning part

Memory aidWalk 辶 with all your strength 力 to reach the edge: side, edge.

How to write 一边

一 1 strokes · 边 5 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

一边 (yìbiān) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 一边 (yìbiān). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 一边

Words with 一

一yī · one一半yībàn · half一些yīxiē · some一点儿yìdiǎnr · a little一起yìqǐ · together第一dìyī · first一下yíxià · (after a verb) briefly一般yìbān · general一定yídìng · surely一共yígòng · altogether

Words with 边

边biān · side那边nàbian · over there外边wàibian · outside这边zhèbiān · this side旁边pángbiān · side右边yòubian · right side左边zuǒbian · left side身边shēnbiān · at one’s side路边lùbiān · roadside边疆biānjiāng · border region

More words: Particles & Connectors

为了wèile · in order to先xiān · first向xiàng · direction像xiàng · be like又yòu · once again只有zhǐyǒu · only才cái · ability只zhǐ · only

FAQs

一边 (yìbiān) means “one side” or “on one hand”. It is an HSK 3 word.
Say it yìbiān: yì with a 4th tone, then biān with a 1st tone. 一 is yī on its own. Before a fourth tone it becomes yí, and before the other tones yì. Textbooks write the change in, as here. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
In Traditional characters, used in Taiwan and Hong Kong, 一边 is written 一邊. The pronunciation is the same.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type yibian with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 一边 from the suggestions. Typing yibian into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
一边 is an HSK 3 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

Turn words into conversations

A dictionary gives you the words. A native teacher shows you how to use them. Start with a free 30-minute intro call.

Book a free intro call

Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.