yī biān
on the one hand …
一边看书，一边听音乐。
yībiān kànshū, yībiān tīng yīnyuè.
Read a book while listening to music.
一边走路，一边说话。
yībiān zǒulù, yībiān shuōhuà.
Walk and talk at the same time.
一边工作，一边学习。
yībiān gōngzuò, yībiān xuéxí.
Work and study at the same time.
一方 (yī fāng)
one side
一边儿 (yī biān er)
one side
一边厢 (yī biān xiāng)
one side
另一边 (lìng yī biān)
the other side
这边 (zhè biān)
this side
Track your progress, master characters, and achieve your Chinese language goals.
Get Started Free
The Chinese character 一边 (yībiān) is composed of two parts: 一 (yī), meaning "one", and 边 (biān), meaning "side" or "edge". Together, they literally mean "one side" or "one edge".In modern Chinese, 一边 is used in a variety of ways. It can be used as a noun, meaning "one side" or "one party", as in 一边是山，一边是水 (yībiān shì shān, yībiān shì shuǐ), meaning "On one side is a mountain, on the other side is water". It can also be used as an adverb, meaning "on one side" or "to one side", as in 他一边看书，一边听音乐 (tā yībiān kànshū, yībiān tīng yīnyuè), meaning "He read a book while listening to music".Additionally, 一边 can be used in a figurative sense to mean "partial" or "biased", as in 他总是偏袒一边 (tā zǒngshì piāntǎn yībiān), meaning "He always favors one side".Overall, the etymology of 一边 reflects its literal meaning of "one side" and its various uses in modern Chinese.
