Dictionary › 万一

万一

wàn yī

Old HSK 5 HSK 3.0 level 5 2-character word Traditional 萬一

万一 (wàn yī) means "just in case, what if". It is an HSK 3.0 level 5 word, and was HSK 5 in the old six-level list.

What 万一 means

1. just in case
2. if by any chance
3. contingency

The characters in 万一

• 万wànten thousand; a great number
• 一yīone; single; a (article)

Example sentences

• 万一发生火灾，按铃。
  In case of fire, ring the bell.
• 万一下雨，我就不去。
  In case it rains, I won't go.
• 万一他迟到的话怎么辨？
  Wànyī tā chídào dehuà zěnme biàn?
  What if he should happen to be late?
• 万一发生火灾，按下按钮。
  Wànyī fāshēng huǒzāi, ànxià ànniǔ.
  In case of fire, push the button.
• 万一你生病了，吃这个药。
  Take this medicine in case you get sick.
• 万一我来晚的话，就别等我了。
  Should I be late, don't wait for me.

Words containing 万一

• 以防万一yǐ fáng wàn yīto guard against the unexpected (idiom); just in case; prepared for any eventualities
• 不怕一万，就怕万一bù pà yī wàn , jiù pà wàn yībetter to be safe than sorry (proverb); to be prepared just in case

Where 万一 is taught

In the GraphChinese course it is part of Conditional & Hedging Words (HSK 5), each one a topic in the dependency graph of HSK 1–6 that opens only once its prerequisites are solid.

Go deeper

• Every HSK 5 word, with the rest of its level.
• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read wàn yī correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.