一等 (yī děng) — first class, first rate; a category, a kind | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

first classfirst ratea categorya kind

Examples

一等。
Tā mǎi le yì zhāng yī děng zuò de chē piào.
He bought a first-class seat ticket.
一等。
Zhè jiā háng kōng gōng sī yǐ yī děng fú wù wén míng.
This airline is famous for its first-class service.
一等。
Tā zài bǐ sài zhōng huò dé yī děng.
He won first prize in the competition.

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 gives first and 等 gives grade, making first-class or a category.

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.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

竹寺等

Meaning part形符xíngfú

竹竹zhúbamboo

Sound part声符shēngfú

寺

寺sì等děng

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 竹 shows bamboo strips used for writing and sorting; the bottom 寺 once gave the sound, but now sounds different.

Appears in

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.