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一定yí dìngsurely; certainly; definitely

HSK 3word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

一定 (yí dìng) means "surely," "certainly" or "definitely," as in 他明天一定来 (He will definitely come tomorrow), 我一定去 (I will certainly go) and 你今天一定要早睡觉 (You definitely must go to bed early today). In all three, 一定 means surely or definitely. This entry covers this one sense.

What does 一定 mean?

  1. 1.

    surely; certainly; definitelyadverb

What do the characters in 一定 mean?

  • 一not compositional here
  • 定definitely

How do you use 一定?

See it in 他明天一定来, 我一定去 and 你今天一定要早睡觉.

Patterns

  • 一定 + verb

    我一定去。

    Wǒ yí dìng qù.

    I will certainly go.

What are some examples of 一定 in a sentence?

  1. 他明天一定来。

    Tā míngtiān yídìng lái.

    He will definitely come tomorrow.

  2. 我一定去。

    Wǒ yídìng qù.

    I will certainly go.

  3. 你今天一定要早睡觉。

    Nǐ jīntiān yídìng yào zǎo shuìjiào.

    You definitely must go to bed early today.

How is 一定 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    明天你来吗?

    Míngtiān nǐ lái ma?

    Are you coming tomorrow?

  2. Speaker B:

    我一定来。

    Wǒ yídìng lái.

    I will definitely come.

  3. Speaker A:

    几点来?

    Jǐ diǎn lái?

    What time are you coming?

  4. Speaker B:

    早上七点。

    Zǎoshang qī diǎn.

    Seven in the morning.

Can you use 一定 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank: 他明天___来。 (He will definitely come tomorrow.)
  2. 2.What does 我一定去。 mean?
  3. 3.What does 一定 mean?

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.