Meaning of 一起
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (in) the same place
- together; in company (with)
- altogether; in total
- an instance of; a case of (murder, accident, dispute etc)
How to use 一起
一起 usually goes before the verb to mean doing something together, and it often pairs with 跟 (gēn) or 和 (hé): 跟我一起去吧。(Gēn wǒ yīqǐ qù ba.) Come with me. In news language 一起 can also count events, as in 一起事故 (yī qǐ shìgù), an accident.
一起 combines 一 (yī, one) and 起 (qǐ, to rise or start). Picture a group of people rising as one, so they do things together.
Common mistake: Learners often put 一起 at the end of the sentence like English "together", saying 我们吃饭一起. The correct order is 我们一起吃饭 (wǒmen yīqǐ chīfàn), with 一起 before the verb.
一起 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
起 qǐ · to rise · 10 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Related words
Words that share a character with 一起.
| 一样 | yīyàng | same; like |
| 起来 | qǐlái | to stand up; to get up; also pr. [qi3lai2] |
| 对不起 | duìbuqǐ | I'm sorry; excuse me; I beg your pardon; to let (sb) down; to disappoint |
| 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 |
| 起床 | qǐchuáng | to get out of bed; to get up |
| 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 |
Questions about 一起
What does 一起 mean?
一起 (yīqǐ) means "(in) the same place; together; in company (with)" and is used as a adverb and noun.
How do you write 一起?
一起 is made of 2 characters: 一 (1 strokes), 起 (10 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 一起 an HSK word?
Yes. 一起 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Does the tone of 一 change in 一起?
Yes. 一 is written yī, but before a third tone it is said with a fourth tone, so 一起 sounds like yìqǐ in speech. Dictionaries often still list it as yīqǐ.
What is the difference between 一起 and 一共?
一起 mainly means together, and it can mean in total in casual speech, as in 一起多少钱 (how much altogether). 一共 (yīgòng) only means in total and is the more standard choice for adding up numbers.