一连

• Pinyin: yī lián
• Hanzi breakdown: 一 = one (each successive one); 连 = 辶 + 车 (movement + chariot — linked in a chain, continuous sequence)

Meaning

Consecutively; one after another; for several (times/days/nights) in a row. Emphasises an unbroken, uninterrupted sequence of the same type of event.

Used before a number plus measure word to mark a continuous sequence: 一连三天 (three days running), 一连几声 (several times in quick succession). More colloquial and emphatic than 连续. Conveys that the repetition is notable or striking in its persistence.

Examples

1. 他一连三个通宵赶完了这份报告，提交时双眼布满血丝，嗓音也已沙哑。 He pulled three all-nighters in a row to finish the report; when he submitted it, his eyes were bloodshot and his voice was already hoarse.
2. 讲座结束后，听众席中一连响起十余次热烈掌声，主讲人数度示意才让会场重归平静。 After the lecture ended, the audience broke into more than ten rounds of enthusiastic applause in a row, and the speaker had to gesture several times before the room quieted down again.
3. 调查组一连走访了五个省份的二十余家企业，收集到大量关于劳动保护执行情况的第一手资料。 The investigation team visited more than twenty companies across five provinces in a row, collecting a large amount of firsthand information on how labor protections were being enforced.

Usage Guide

Context: narrative, description, journalism, daily life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 台风季节，该沿海城市一连遭受四次强风暴袭击，累计经济损失超过百亿元，灾后重建工作将持续数月。(During typhoon season, the coastal city suffered four successive severe storm strikes, with cumulative economic losses exceeding ten billion yuan; post-disaster reconstruction work is expected to continue for months.)
• 老将一连夺得三枚金牌，打破了两项世界纪录，成为本届赛事最耀眼的明星，引发媒体的大规模报道。(The veteran athlete won three gold medals in a row, breaking two world records, becoming the most dazzling star of the current tournament and sparking extensive media coverage.)

Don't Say

• 他一连地努力工作 — 一连 precedes a specific count + measure word; it does not modify verbs directly; use 一直 or 持续 for ongoing states without a specific count

Origin & History

一 (one/a) + 连 (link/connect in sequence — 辶 movement + 车 chariot; to link in a chain, continuously one after another)

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal