每天成语
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一言为定

*The explanations on this page are generated by AI. Please note that they may contain inaccurate information.

1. Basic Information

  • Pinyin: yī yán wéi dìng
  • English Translation: That's settled; it's a deal (literally: 'one word sets it')
  • Idiom Composition: 「一」（One; a single）＋「言」（Word; statement; spoken remark）＋「为」（To serve as; to become; to count as）＋「定」（Fixed; settled; decided）
  • Meaning: Once spoken, the matter is decided and cannot be undone. In daily spoken Chinese, this idiom functions as the go-to punchy phrase meaning 'It's a deal!' or 'That settles it!' to seal an agreement or commitment.

2. Detailed Meaning and Nuances

「一言为定」 contains the following nuances:

  • Finalizing an Agreement: Serves as the verbal handshake that marks the conclusion of negotiations or plans, indicating that both sides accept the terms without need for further debate.
  • Integrity and Keeping One's Word: Carries the implicit moral understanding that going back on one's word is disgraceful. It implies that spoken promises are as binding as written contracts.
  • High-Frequency Conversational Marker: Unlike literary or obscure idioms, 一言为定 (yī yán wéi dìng) is commonly used as a stand-alone exclamation in modern speech, texts, and messaging apps to signal cheerful consent.

3. Usage

「一言为定」 is mainly used in the following contexts:

  • Confirming Schedules and Plans: Used with friends or colleagues when locking down a meeting time or place, equivalent to 'See you then, that's a plan!'
    • Example:「那就明天早上八点在车站碰头，一言为定！」
      （Then we'll meet at the station tomorrow morning at eight o'clock, it's a deal!)
  • Sealing Friendly Bets and Challenges: Used after setting the stakes in a game or friendly wager to ensure neither side backs out.
    • Example:「输的人要请大家喝奶茶，一言为定，谁都不许反悔。」
      （Whoever loses has to buy milk tea for everyone; it's a deal, no backing out!)
  • Verbal Agreements in Negotiations: Used in business or collaborative discussions when both sides find common ground and conclude the arrangement.
    • Example:「双方在会议上达成了共识，就按这个方案推进，一言为定。」
      （Both parties reached an agreement during the meeting; moving forward with this plan is officially settled.)

Additional Examples:

  1. 这次周末去爬山，你可一定要来，我们一言为定。
    （You definitely have to come hiking this weekend; promise me, it's settled.）
  2. 只要你这次考试能进前三名，我就给你买新电脑，一言为定！
    （As long as you place in the top three on this exam, I'll buy you a new computer—that's a firm promise!）
  3. 他们两人伸出手掌击了一下，算是把这事一言为定了。
    （The two of them high-fived each other, considering the matter officially agreed upon.）
  4. 你既然答应了帮忙，那就是一言为定，不能临时变卦。
    （Since you promised to help, that is a firm commitment, so you can't back out at the last minute.）
  5. 好，一言为定，下次去北京一定要找我聚聚。
    （Great, it's a deal! Next time you visit Beijing, we definitely have to catch up.）

4. Cultural Background and Notes

  • Historical Origins: Early variants like 一言已定 (yī yán yǐ dìng) appear in Yuan-dynasty drama such as The Orphan of Zhao (赵氏孤儿), and the modern four-character form is found frequently in classical novels like Dream of the Red Chamber (红楼梦). It has endured for centuries as the standard formula for sealing verbal contracts.
  • The Moral Weight of Words: This phrase echoes the venerable Chinese proverb 一言既出，驷马难追 (yī yán jì chū, sì mǎ nán zhuī), which teaches that 'once a word is spoken, even a team of four horses cannot chase it down.' It reflects a deep traditional emphasis on trustworthiness and accountability.
  • Modern Everyday Usage: Far from sounding archaic, it functions much like an upbeat 'Deal!' or 'High five!' in English. Learners can comfortably shout '好，一言为定！(Hǎo, yī yán wéi dìng!)' when closing out weekend plans with Chinese friends.

5. Similar and Opposite Idioms

6. Summary

The idiom 一言为定 (yī yán wéi dìng) is the classic Chinese way of saying 'It's a deal!' or 'That's settled.' Rooted in the ancient cultural virtue that a spoken word carries absolute weight, it has evolved into an everyday, warm colloquialism used to finalize plans, friendly wagers, and agreements with enthusiasm and mutual trust.

Featured in the Chuken exam (Japan's Chinese test)Pre-Level 1

Idiom Essay

yī yán wéi dìng
一言为定
A Promise Is a Promise
zhōng guó中国rén人yǒu有yī jù一句hěn很cháng jiàn常见de的kè qì huà客气话：“gǎi tiān改天yì qǐ一起chī fàn吃饭。”

Chinese people often use this polite phrase: “Let’s have a meal together sometime.”

shuō说de的rén人hěn很zhēn chéng真诚，tīng听de的rén人yě也hěn很gāo xìng高兴，kě shì可是zhè ge这个“gǎi tiān改天”，cháng cháng常常yì zhí一直dōu都méi yǒu没有lái来。

The person who says it is sincere, and the person who hears it is happy too, but that “sometime” often never comes.

wǒ我hé和yī wèi一位dà xué大学tóng xué同学jiù shì就是zhè yàng这样。

That is what happened with a university classmate of mine.

wǒ men我们zài在bù tóng不同de的chéng shì城市gōng zuò工作，měi gé每隔yī liǎng一两nián年huì会ǒu rán偶然pèng dào碰到yī cì一次。

We work in different cities and happen to run into each other once every year or two.

měi cì每次fēn bié分别de的shí hòu时候，wǒ men我们dōu都huì会shuō说：“xià cì下次yí dìng一定hǎo hǎo好好jù jù聚聚。”

Whenever we said goodbye, we would say, “Next time, we’ll definitely get together properly.”

rán hòu然后gè zì各自huí jiā回家，yī nián一年yòu又yī nián一年。

Then we would each go home, and one year would pass after another.

qù nián去年chūn tiān春天，wǒ men我们zài在jī chǎng机场yòu又yù dào遇到le了。

Last spring, we ran into each other again at the airport.

dēng jī登机qián前，tā她ná chū拿出shǒu jī手机，dǎ kāi打开rì lì日历，kàn看zhe着wǒ我shuō说：“zhè这cì次bié别shuō说xià cì下次le了。shí yuè wǔ hào十月五号，wǒ我qù去nǐ de你的chéng shì城市，nǐ你dài带wǒ我qù去chī吃nǐ你cháng常shuō说de的nà那jiā家miàn guǎn面馆。”

Before boarding, she took out her phone, opened her calendar, and said to me, “This time, let’s not say ‘next time.’ On October 5, I’m coming to your city. Take me to that noodle shop you always talk about.”

wǒ我shuō说：“hǎo好a啊。”

I said, “Sure.”

tā她hǎo xiàng好像hái还bù不mǎn yì满意，yòu又wèn问le了yī jù一句：“yī yán wéi dìng一言为定？”

She still seemed unsatisfied and asked, “Promise?”

wǒ我xiào笑le了：“yī yán wéi dìng一言为定！”

I smiled. “Promise!”

“yī yán wéi dìng一言为定”de的yì si意思hěn很jiǎn dān简单：yī jù huà一句话shuō说chū lái出来，shì qíng事情jiù就dìng定xià lái下来le了，yǐ hòu以后bù不gǎi改，yě也bù不fǎn huǐ反悔。

The meaning of “A promise is a promise” is simple: once you say something, it is settled; you will not change your mind or go back on your word.

tā它cháng cháng常常chū xiàn出现zài在yuē dìng约定de的zuì hòu最后。

It often comes at the end of an agreement.

yí gè一个rén人tí chū提出ān pái安排，lìng另yí gè一个rén人huí dá回答“yī yán wéi dìng一言为定”，jiù就xiàng像yòng用yǔ yán语言wò握le了yī xià一下shǒu手。

One person suggests a plan, and the other answers, “A promise is a promise,” as if they had shaken hands with words.

yǒu yì si有意思de的shì是，zhè这sì gè四个zì字běn shēn本身méi yǒu没有rèn hé任何jù tǐ具体nèi róng内容。

Interestingly, these four characters themselves contain no specific information.

shí jiān时间、dì diǎn地点、zuò做shén me什么，dōu都yào要zài在tā它qián miàn前面shuō说qīng chǔ清楚。

The time, place, and activity all have to be made clear beforehand.

tā它zuò做de的shì qíng事情，shì是gěi给qián miàn前面de的huà话jiā shàng加上yī fèn一份zhòng liàng重量，ràng让yí gè一个mó hú模糊de的“yǐ hòu以后”，biàn chéng变成liǎng gè rén两个人dōu都yào要fù zé负责de的chéng nuò承诺。

What the phrase does is add weight to the words that came before it, turning a vague “sometime in the future” into a promise for which both people are responsible.

zhè ge这个chéng yǔ成语dài带zhe着xìn rèn信任，yě也dài带zhe着yì diǎn一点rèn zhēn认真，dàn但yì diǎn一点yě也bù不yán sù严肃。

This idiom conveys trust and a touch of seriousness, but it is not serious or formal at all.

dà shì大事kě yǐ可以yòng用，xiǎo shì小事yě也kě yǐ可以yòng用。

It can be used for important matters as well as small ones.

bǐ rú比如hái zi孩子gēn跟bà bà爸爸shuō说：“kǎo考wán完shì试nǐ你dài带wǒ我qù去yóu lè yuán游乐园，yī yán wéi dìng一言为定！”

For example, a child might say to their father, “After my exams, you’ll take me to the amusement park. Promise!”

zhè shí hòu这时候，hái zi孩子yào要de的bù不zhǐ shì只是yī jù一句“hǎo好”，ér shì而是yí gè一个bù néng不能suí biàn随便shōu huí收回de的huí dá回答。

At that moment, the child wants more than just a “Sure”; they want an answer that cannot be casually taken back.

shí yuè十月wǔ hào五号nà tiān那天，tā她zhēn de真的lái来le了。

On October 5, she really came.

miàn guǎn面馆hěn很xiǎo小，rén人hěn很duō多，wǒ men我们pái排le了bàn gè半个xiǎo shí小时de的duì队。

The noodle shop was small and crowded, and we waited in line for half an hour.

chī吃wán完miàn面，tā她cā cā擦擦zuǐ嘴shuō说：“míng nián明年nǐ你lái来wǒ我nà ér那儿，wǒ我qǐng请nǐ你。”

After we finished eating, she wiped her mouth and said, “Next year, you come to my city, and I’ll treat you.”

zhè这yī cì一次，méi没děng等tā她wèn问，wǒ我xiān先shuō说le了：“yī yán wéi dìng一言为定。”

This time, before she could ask, I said first, “A promise is a promise.”

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