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一年一度yī nián yī dù(idiom) annual; once a year

Not on the HSK 3.0 syllabusidiom

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

一年一度 (yī nián yī dù) means annual or once a year. Speakers can use it to describe an event, festival, competition, or gathering that takes place one time every year, usually placed before 的 and a noun, as in a yearly company event or a yearly holiday that people look forward to.

What does 一年一度 mean?

  1. 1.

    (idiom) annual; once a yearidiom

Figurative meaning
Annual; once a year.

What do the characters in 一年一度 mean?

  • 一one
  • 年year
  • 一one
  • 度classifier for events and occurrences

Where does 一年一度 come from?

No attested origin story

How do you use 一年一度?

一年一度 usually comes before 的 and a noun such as 节日 or 比赛 to describe something held every year.

What are some examples of 一年一度 in a sentence?

  1. 这是我们公司一年一度的比赛。

    Zhè shì wǒmen gōngsī yī nián yī dù de bǐsài.

    This is our company's annual competition.

  2. 一年一度的节日又到了。

    Yī nián yī dù de jiérì yòu dào le.

    The yearly holiday has come around again.

  3. 这个活动一年一度,每次都有很多人来。

    Zhège huódòng yī nián yī dù, měi cì dōu yǒu hěn duō rén lái.

    This event happens once a year, and lots of people come every time.

How is 一年一度 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    你明天去参加学校的活动吗?

    Nǐ míngtiān qù cānjiā xuéxiào de huódòng ma?

    Are you going to the school event tomorrow?

  2. Speaker B:

    当然去!这是一年一度的活动。

    Dāngrán qù! Zhè shì yī nián yī dù de huódòng.

    Of course! It's an annual event.

  3. Speaker A:

    那我们一起去吧。

    Nà wǒmen yìqǐ qù ba.

    Then let's go together.

  4. Speaker B:

    好啊,错过了就要等明年了。

    Hǎo a, cuòguò le jiù yào děng míngnián le.

    Sure, if we miss it we'll have to wait until next year.

Can you use 一年一度 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.What does 一年一度 mean?
  2. 2.Which sentence uses 一年一度 correctly?
  3. 3.Which word fits best? 这是我们公司____的比赛。 (This is our company's annual competition.)

What should you learn next?

English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.