一度
for a time; at one point (in the past)
Structure
主语 一度 动词／形容词 ， （后来／如今／但…）
What it means
“For a time; at one point”: a state that held for a while in the past and has since changed.
How it is built
Subject + 一度 + verb／adjective, then 后来／如今／但 + the change: 这个小镇一度十分热闹，后来年轻人都走了 (the town was once lively, but later the young left).
When to use it
Put it straight before the verb: 一度很流行, 一度下降, 一度想放弃. The follow-up clause shows the state did not last. Common in storytelling and news reports.
Watch out
It looks back at the past, so do not use it for plans. Do not confuse it with 一年一度 “once a year”, where 度 counts times: 一年一度的春晚.
Examples
除夕一度不再是法定假日，直到2025年才恢复。
For a time New Year’s Eve stopped being a public holiday; only in 2025 did it regain that status.
这个小镇一度十分热闹，后来年轻人都去了城里。
This little town was once very lively, but later the young people all left for the cities.
他一度想放弃学中文，最后还是坚持了下来。
At one point he thought of giving up Chinese, but in the end he kept at it.
Learn this in Lesson 40 · HSK 5–6: 今天怎么过年 (The New Year today)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
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