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一发 (yī fā) — (adverb) (even) more; to an even greater extent; (adverb) together; at the same time

Definition

一发 (yī fā) is a literary adverb meaning 'even more' (greater degree) or 'all at once, simultaneously'. Almost always found before a verb or adjective in formal or written Chinese; rare in casual speech.

adverb
(even) moreto an even greater extenttogetherat the same time

Examples

  • 一发。
    Zhè ge wèn tí yī fā yán zhòng le.
    This problem has become even more serious.
  • 一发。
    Tā men yī fā chū fā le.
    They set off together.
  • ，一发。
    Jīng guò zhè cì péi xùn, tā de néng lì yī fā tí gāo le.
    After this training, his ability improved even more.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

一yīone
发fāsend out

The fixed pair 一 and 发 means even more or together; the sense is idiomatic and not transparently built from the literal characters.

Characters in this word

An abstract idea shown by a mark or a diagram rather than by a picture of an object.

一 is drawn as one horizontal stroke, marking the number one.

Open 一 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 發; 发 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 发 stands for more than one traditional character. In most words (爆发, 出发) it is 發; in others (理发, 头发) it is 髮.

The form 發, which 发 stands for in many words, was originally drawn as a bow firing an arrow.

Open 发 →
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