Meaning of 一切
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- everything
- every
- all
How to use 一切
一切 refers to all things or all of something as a whole, often in slightly formal or emotional statements. It can stand alone or come before a noun, often with 的. Example: 一切都会好起来的。(Yīqiè dōu huì hǎo qǐlái de.) Everything will be fine.
一 (yī) means one, and 切 (qiè) here suggests cutting across. Picture one single cut that slices through every piece at once, so nothing is left out: that is 一切, everything.
Common mistake: Learners often read 切 as qiē (to cut), but in 一切 it is qiè, fourth tone. Also note that 一 changes to second tone before a fourth tone, so the natural pronunciation is yíqiè.
一切 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
一 yī · one · 1 strokes
- 1
切 qiē · to cut · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 一切.
| 一起 | yīqǐ | (in) the same place; together; in company (with) |
| 一样 | yīyàng | same; like |
| 一些 | yīxiē | some; a few; a little; (following an adjective) slightly ...er |
| 一会儿 | yīhuìr | a moment; a while |
| 一半 | yībàn | half |
| 一边 | yībiān | one side; either side |
| 一点儿 | yīdiǎnr | erhua variant of 一點|一点[yi1 dian3] |
| 一块儿 | yīkuàir | erhua variant of 一塊|一块[yi1 kuai4] |
| 一下儿 | yīxiàr | erhua form of 一下[yi1 xia4] |
| 有一些 | yǒuyīxiē | somewhat; rather |
| 一定 | yīdìng | surely; certainly; definitely; fixed; settled |
| 一直 | yīzhí | straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through |
Questions about 一切
What does 一切 mean?
一切 (yīqiè) means "everything; every" and is used as a pronoun.
How do you write 一切?
一切 is made of 2 characters: 一 (1 strokes), 切 (4 strokes). That is 5 strokes in total.
Is 一切 an HSK word?
Yes. 一切 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 一切 and 所有?
所有 (suǒyǒu) usually goes before a noun, as in 所有的人 (all the people). 一切 can do that too, but it also works alone as a pronoun meaning everything, as in 一切都好. 所有 does not normally stand alone that way.
Why is 都 so often used after 一切?
In Chinese, words meaning all or every are usually followed by 都 (dōu) before the verb to reinforce the total meaning. So you say 一切都准备好了 (Everything is ready), and leaving out 都 sounds incomplete.