Meaning of 一句话
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- in a word; in short
How to use 一句话
一句话 is often used at the start of a summary to wrap up what you have been saying, much like "in short" or "to put it simply." It can also simply mean "one sentence" or "a single remark." Example: 一句话，我们明天必须完成。(Yī jù huà, wǒmen míngtiān bìxū wánchéng.) In short, we have to finish tomorrow.
Break it into its parts: 一 (yī) one, 句 (jù) sentence, 话 (huà) words. If you can say it all in one sentence of words, you are putting it "in a word" or "in short."
Common mistake: Learners sometimes say 一个话 (yī gè huà), but the measure word for 话 is 句 (jù), not 个. Also watch the tone of 一: before the fourth tone 句 it changes to second tone, so it sounds like yí jù huà.
一句话 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
句 jù · sentence · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
话 huà · dialect · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 一句话.
| 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 |
| 电话 | diànhuà | telephone; phone call |
| 说话 | shuōhuà | to speak; to say |
| 打电话 | dǎ diànhuà | to make a telephone call |
| 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] |
Questions about 一句话
What does 一句话 mean?
一句话 (yī jù huà) means "in a word; in short".
How do you write 一句话?
一句话 is made of 3 characters: 一 (1 strokes), 句 (5 strokes), 话 (8 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 一句话 an HSK word?
Yes. 一句话 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 一句话 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 一句话 is written 一句話.
What is the difference between 一句话 and 总之?
Both can mean "in short." 总之 (zǒngzhī) is more neutral and common in writing. 一句话 feels more spoken and emphatic, as if you are cutting to the main point.
Can 一句话 mean something other than "in short"?
Yes. Literally it means "one sentence" or "a single remark," as in 他一句话也没说 (tā yí jù huà yě méi shuō), "he didn't say a single word." Context tells you which meaning is intended.