Examples by Level
他是我最好的朋友之一。
He is one of my best friends.
北京是最大的城市之一。
Beijing is one of the biggest cities.
这是我最喜欢的书之一。
This is one of my favorite books.
她是我们班最高的学生之一。
She is one of the tallest students in our class.
苹果是我最喜欢的水果之一。
Apples are one of my favorite fruits.
中文是最难的语言之一。
Chinese is one of the most difficult languages.
他是我认识的人之一。
He is one of the people I know.
这是我吃过的最好吃的菜之一。
This is one of the best dishes I've ever eaten.
Common Collocations
Common Phrases
他是我们班上最聪明的学生之一。
He is one of the smartest students in our class.
北京是中国最大的城市之一。
Beijing is one of the biggest cities in China.
这是我最喜欢看的电影之一。
This is one of my favorite movies to watch.
学中文最难的部分之一是声调。
One of the most difficult parts of learning Chinese is the tones.
健康饮食是长寿的关键之一。
Healthy eating is one of the keys to longevity.
她是我最好的朋友之一。
She is one of my best friends.
足球是世界上最受欢迎的运动之一。
Football is one of the most popular sports in the world.
阅读是学习新知识最有效的方法之一。
Reading is one of the most effective ways to learn new knowledge.
旅行是放松身心最好的方式之一。
Traveling is one of the best ways to relax.
这个问题是我们需要解决的首要问题之一。
This problem is one of the first ones we need to solve.
Grammar Patterns
Idioms & Expressions
"其中之一 (qí zhōng zhī yī)"
One of them
他是我最好的朋友之一。 (Tā shì wǒ zuì hǎo de péngyǒu zhī yī.) - He is one of my best friends.
neutral"最…之一 (zuì… zhī yī)"
One of the most...
这是世界上最美的景色之一。 (Zhè shì shìjiè shàng zuì měi de jǐngsè zhī yī.) - This is one of the most beautiful sights in the world.
neutral"唯一的…之一 (wéiyī de… zhī yī)"
One of the only...
她是班上唯一的女生之一。 (Tā shì bān shàng wéiyī de nǚshēng zhī yī.) - She is one of the only girls in the class.
neutral"重要的…之一 (zhòngyào de… zhī yī)"
One of the important...
健康是幸福生活重要的因素之一。 (Jiànkāng shì xìngfú shēnghuó zhòngyào de yīnsù zhī yī.) - Health is one of the important factors for a happy life.
neutral"最好的…之一 (zuì hǎo de… zhī yī)"
One of the best...
他是公司最好的员工之一。 (Tā shì gōngsī zuì hǎo de yuángōng zhī yī.) - He is one of the best employees in the company.
neutral"最差的…之一 (zuì chà de… zhī yī)"
One of the worst...
这是我吃过的最差的饭菜之一。 (Zhè shì wǒ chī guò de zuì chà de fàncài zhī yī.) - This is one of the worst meals I've ever eaten.
neutral"杰出的…之一 (jiéchū de… zhī yī)"
One of the outstanding...
他是一位杰出的科学家之一。 (Tā shì yī wèi jiéchū de kēxuéjiā zhī yī.) - He is one of the outstanding scientists.
formal"著名的…之一 (zhùmíng de… zhī yī)"
One of the famous...
长城是世界上著名的建筑之一。 (Chángchéng shì shìjiè shàng zhùmíng de jiànzhù zhī yī.) - The Great Wall is one of the famous buildings in the world.
neutral"罕见的…之一 (hǎnjiàn de… zhī yī)"
One of the rare...
这种植物是世界上罕见的物种之一。 (Zhè zhǒng zhíwù shì shìjiè shàng hǎnjiàn de wùzhǒng zhī yī.) - This plant is one of the rare species in the world.
neutral"主要的…之一 (zhǔyào de… zhī yī)"
One of the main...
阅读是学习语言的主要方法之一。 (Yuèdú shì xuéxí yǔyán de zhǔyào fāngfǎ zhī yī.) - Reading is one of the main methods for learning a language.
neutralSentence Patterns
是…之一
北京是世界最大的城市之一。(Beijing is one of the biggest cities in the world.)
最…之一
他是我最好的朋友之一。(He is one of my best friends.)
喜欢…之一
这是我最喜欢看的电影之一。(This is one of my favorite movies to watch.)
重要的…之一
健康是我们生活中最重要的方面之一。(Health is one of the most important aspects of our lives.)
有影响力的…之一
他是20世纪最有影响力的艺术家之一。(He was one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.)
其中之一
这些书都很好，我最喜欢其中之一。(All these books are good, I like one of them the most.)
…的挑战之一
学中文最大的挑战之一是声调。(One of the biggest challenges in learning Chinese is the tones.)
被认为是…之一
他被认为是公司里最勤奋的员工之一。(He is considered one of the most diligent employees in the company.)
Tips
Basic Structure of 之一
The most common way to use 之一 is by saying [something] + 之一. This means 'one of the [something]'. For example, if you want to say 'one of my friends', you'd say 我的朋友之一.
Using with Adjectives
When describing a quality, you'll often see something like 最好的朋友之一, meaning 'one of the best friends'. The adjective comes before the noun it modifies.
Plurality is Key
Remember that 之一 (one of) implies there are multiple items or people from which one is being selected. If there's only one, you wouldn't use 之一.
Don't confuse with 'first'
之一 means 'one of'. It does not mean 'the first'. The first would be 第一 (dì yī).
Sentence Position
之一 usually comes at the end of the phrase it modifies. For example, 汉语是中国最难的语言之一 (Hànyǔ shì Zhōngguó zuì nán de yǔyán zhī yī - Chinese is one of the most difficult languages in China).
Common phrases with 之一
You'll often hear it in phrases like 世界上最美的景色之一 (shìjiè shàng zuìměi de jǐngsè zhī yī - one of the most beautiful sceneries in the world).
Using with Quantifiers
While not strictly necessary, you can sometimes see 之一 used with quantifiers, but the noun usually implies a group. E.g., 他是我最喜欢的人之一 (Tā shì wǒ zuì xǐhuān de rén zhī yī - He is one of the people I like most).
Practice with lists
Think of lists in English. 'One of the top 10 movies', 'one of my favorite books'. Then try to translate these ideas using 之一 to practice its placement.
Literary Contexts
In more formal or literary contexts, 之一 can also be part of a set phrase, but for daily conversation, stick to the [noun] + 之一 structure. It's more about being 'one component of a larger whole'.
Don't overthink it
The concept of 'one of' is fairly direct in Chinese. Just remember the structure and don't try to add extra words that aren't needed.
Test Yourself 42 questions
Write a sentence in Chinese saying 'Beijing is one of China's big cities.'
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
北京是中国的城市之一。
Write a sentence in Chinese saying 'He is one of my good friends.'
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
他是我好朋友之一。
Write a sentence in Chinese saying 'This book is one of his favorite books.'
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
这本书是他喜欢的书之一。
What is mentioned as one of the speaker's fruits?
Read this passage:
我喜欢吃水果。苹果是我的水果之一。它很甜。
What is mentioned as one of the speaker's fruits?
The passage says '苹果是我的水果之一', meaning 'Apple is one of my fruits.'
The passage says '苹果是我的水果之一', meaning 'Apple is one of my fruits.'
Which item is one of her favorite clothes?
Read this passage:
她有很多衣服。这件红色的衣服是她最喜欢的衣服之一。她经常穿它。
Which item is one of her favorite clothes?
The passage states '这件红色的衣服是她最喜欢的衣服之一', which means 'This red dress is one of her favorite clothes.'
The passage states '这件红色的衣服是她最喜欢的衣服之一', which means 'This red dress is one of her favorite clothes.'
What is one of his hobbies?
Read this passage:
他有很多爱好。看电影是他爱好之一。他每个周末都看电影。
What is one of his hobbies?
The passage says '看电影是他爱好之一', meaning 'Watching movies is one of his hobbies.'
The passage says '看电影是他爱好之一', meaning 'Watching movies is one of his hobbies.'
Choose the correct sentence: My dog is one of the cutest.
In Chinese, 'one of the...' structure places '之一' after the adjective or noun it modifies.
Which of these sentences correctly uses '之一'?
'之一' should follow the noun phrase it modifies, like '中国的城市' (cities of China).
Fill in the blank: 上海是 ______ 最美丽的城市。
The sentence means 'Shanghai is one of the most beautiful cities,' so '之一' fits the meaning.
The sentence '他是我的好朋友之一' means 'He is one of my good friends.'
The structure '是...之一' correctly expresses 'is one of'.
In the sentence '这首歌是她最喜欢的歌之一', '之一' is used incorrectly.
'之一' is used correctly here, meaning 'This song is one of her favorite songs.'
To say 'one of the biggest problems,' you can say '最大的问题之一'.
This is the correct structure for 'one of the biggest problems' in Chinese.
'她' (she) is the subject, '是' (is) is the verb. '我们最好的老师' (our best teachers) is the noun phrase, followed by '之一' (one of) to indicate she is one of them.
'饺子' (dumplings) is the subject, '是' (is) is the verb. '中国最受欢迎的菜' (China's most popular dishes) is the noun phrase, followed by '之一' (one of) to indicate dumplings are one of them.
'上海' (Shanghai) is the subject, '是' (is) is the verb. '世界上最大的城市' (the world's biggest cities) is the noun phrase, followed by '之一' (one of) to indicate Shanghai is one of them.
He is one of the best employees in our company.
Beijing is one of the most populous cities in the world.
Learning Chinese is one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Read this aloud:
长城是中国最著名的旅游景点之一。
Focus: 之一 (zhī yī)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
他是这个领域最专业的专家之一。
Focus: 最专业的专家之一 (zuì zhuānyè de zhuānjiā zhī yī)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
足球是全世界最受欢迎的运动之一。
Focus: 最受欢迎的运动之一 (zuì shòu huānyíng de yùndòng zhī yī)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
她是中国最著名的女演员___。
“之一” means 'one of' and fits the context of 'one of the most famous actresses'.
北京是世界上人口最多的城市___。
“之一” is used to indicate 'one of' when talking about a group or category.
长城是世界七大奇迹___。
Here, “之一” means 'one of the seven wonders'.
学中文是许多外国人选择___。
“之一” is used here to say 'one of the choices' for foreigners.
他是我们公司最勤奋的员工___。
“之一” correctly indicates 'one of the most diligent employees' in the company.
环境保护是当今世界面临的最大挑战___。
“之一” is the correct usage for 'one of the biggest challenges'.
He is one of the best employees in our company.
The Great Wall is one of the seven wonders of the world.
There are many ways to solve this problem, and this is one of them.
Read this aloud:
北京是世界上人口最多的城市之一。
Focus: 之一 (zhī yī)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
健康是幸福生活最重要的组成部分之一。
Focus: 最重要的组成部分之一 (zuì zhòngyào de zǔchéng bùfèn zhī yī)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
学好中文需要时间和努力，这也是我学习中文的原因之一。
Focus: 原因之一 (yuányīn zhī yī)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
The sentence structure 'subject + 成为 + object + 之一' is common for expressing 'becoming one of something'.
The phrase '有史以来' (since the beginning of history) often precedes a superlative.
The noun phrase '当前全球面临的重大挑战' (major challenges currently faced globally) modifies '挑战' (challenges).
/ 42 correct
Perfect score!
Basic Structure of 之一
The most common way to use 之一 is by saying [something] + 之一. This means 'one of the [something]'. For example, if you want to say 'one of my friends', you'd say 我的朋友之一.
Using with Adjectives
When describing a quality, you'll often see something like 最好的朋友之一, meaning 'one of the best friends'. The adjective comes before the noun it modifies.
Plurality is Key
Remember that 之一 (one of) implies there are multiple items or people from which one is being selected. If there's only one, you wouldn't use 之一.
Don't confuse with 'first'
之一 means 'one of'. It does not mean 'the first'. The first would be 第一 (dì yī).
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本事
A2Skill; ability; capability.
相应地
B1Correspondingly.
账号
A2account (e.g., bank, online)
客户经理
A2account manager
账户
B1A record of financial transactions for an individual or business, usually at a bank; or a user profile for a digital service.
会计
A2accounting, accountant
收购
B1To purchase; to acquire (a company).
商业活动
A2Business activity.
广告费
A2Advertising expenses.
调整
B1To change something slightly in order to make it more correct, effective, or suitable.
