Pronunciation of 一 yi1

[davoosh]

This might seem like a very silly question, but it's one that I've been wondering about for some time.

So, we all know that yi1 becomes yi4 (or yi2) when referring to the number of something.

一條路 yi4 tiao2 lu4

一個人 yi2 ge4 ren2

etc.

When simply counting, it remains yi1 'yi1 er4 san1...' etc. Correct?

But what about those ambiguous times, such as when it appears in chengyu or set phrases? Or things like the number of a bus, such as '一路 公共汽車'.

After asking a native, he said that yi1 is 'correct' but most people would use 'yi4' here (which is surpising, since lu4 is a fourth tone, so you'd expect yi2 lu4 - now this could be because he's a native of Dalian which do weird things to the first tone...)

So if any other speakers could help as to how they'd pronounce things such as 一路公共汽車, 一號，or the 一 in things such as 一生一世.

Thanks!

[jkhsu]

In general, I would stick to the tone sandhi rules.

From Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tone_sandhi

"一 (Yī) is 1st tone when alone, 2nd tone when followed by a 4th tone, and 4th tone when followed by any other tone. Examples: 一个 (yī + gè = yí gè), 一次 (yī + cì = yí cì), 一半 (yī + bàn = yí bàn), 一般 (yī + bān = yì bān), 一毛 (yī + máo = yì máo), 一会儿 (yī + huìr = yí huìr)."

[edelweis]

what about the 一……就…… structure? I noticed once that my teacher clearly said yi1, but I'm not sure whether she did that so that we would understand what she said, or whether it's the correct way to pronounce 一 in that case.

[WestTexas]

of course, when reading out the digits of a phone number or something similar, you can use yāo

[davoosh]

I am also curious about to pronounce it in the yi1...jiu4 structure. What about 一生一世? I seem to have heard yi4sheng1yi2shi4.

[creamyhorror]

What about 一生一世? I seem to have heard yi4sheng1yi2shi4.

That's how I say it, and it conforms to the tone sandhi rules that jkhsu quotes above.

So if any other speakers could help as to how they'd pronounce things such as 一路公共汽車, 一號，or the 一 in things such as 一生一世.

一路, 一號 = yi1

When using it as an ordinal number (i.e. no. 1), I say it as yi1 regardless of the following word. I'm quite sure I hear the newscasters and TV hosts say yi1 in such situations as well. This could easily differ regionally, of course.

[peggy-liz]

一 when used alone, is pronouced in 1st tone (yī)，but if before 1st , 2nd and 3rd it will change to 4th tone (yì)

e.g. 一起（yìqǐ） 一家人(yì jiā rén) 一百（yì bǎi）

when use before 4th tone syllable, it change to 2nd tone（yí）

e.g. 一岁（yí suì） 一万（yí wàn） 一个（yí gè） 一辈子（yí bèizi）

So the pronouciation of "一" depands on the following word...

[davoosh]

Thanks peggy-liz, I assume you're a native speaker? If you are, how would you pronounce 一路（公交車）； yi1 lu4, or yi2 lu4?

How about 一看到他。。。就。。。; is it yi1 kan4... or yi2 kan4?

Thanks

[peggy-liz]

hi, davoosh, 一路(公交车)，is yī lù.(first tone)

when " 一" is used as ordinary number, it pronounce “yī”（first tone）。

in the word “一路向前” it pronounce“yí lù xiàng qián”（2nd tone）。

“一看到他……就……”here is pronouce "yí kàn dào tā……jiù"（2 tone）

because it is not used as ordinary number here, so need follow the rules.

Hope it's helpful.

Peggy

[Olle Linge]

This is probably obvious for most readers, but I want to point out that the 一 used in January (一月) and one or eleven o'clock (一點, 十一點) are also read as first tones. A quick check with a native speaker tells me that the 一 in one o'clock can be pronounced as a fourth tone, but that the first tone is the preferred choice. Can anyone comment on this? I would always use the first tone.

[jkhsu]

Checked with a native speaker (from Shanghai). She said that 一 is first tone in "现在是一点钟" but fourth tone in "菜一点也不辣". This conforms to 一 is first tone when it's used as a number. Perhaps there are regional differences?

[ccyjie]

The tone change rules of "一" and “不”

FYR:

http://zh.wiktionary...h/附录:“一”、“不”的变调