一系列

• Pinyin: yī xì liè
• Hanzi breakdown: 一 = one (indefinite article sense); 系 = simplified 係 = 纟 + 系 (silk thread + to tie — connection, lineage, system); 列 = 歹 + 刂 (bone fragments + knife — to arrange in a row, suggesting ordered sequence)

Meaning

A series of; a string of; a set of. Used before nouns to describe multiple related items, events, or measures that form a connected sequence or group.

Functions as a pre-nominal quantifier meaning 'a whole series/sequence of'. It implies the items are connected by theme, causation, or sequence — not merely a random collection. Common in news, policy documents, academic writing: 一系列措施、一系列问题、一系列改革.

Examples

1. 政府针对房地产市场过热问题出台了一系列调控政策，包括限购、限贷及提高二套房首付比例等多项举措。 In response to overheating in the real estate market, the government introduced a series of control measures, including purchase restrictions, tighter lending, and higher down-payment requirements for a second home.
2. 这起食品安全事件暴露出监管体系中的一系列漏洞，引发了社会各界对现行抽检机制有效性的广泛讨论。 This food safety incident exposed a series of holes in the regulatory system, sparking wide debate across society about how effective the current spot-check mechanism really is.
3. 科研团队在过去三年间发表了一系列有关量子纠错码的高水平论文，奠定了其在该领域的国际学术地位。 Over the past three years, the research team published a series of high-level papers on quantum error-correcting codes, establishing its international academic standing in the field.

Usage Guide

Context: policy, journalism, academia, business

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这位导演在创作中通过一系列以底层劳动者为主角的影片，探讨城镇化中个人命运与社会结构的张力。(This director explores the tension between individual fate and social structure in urbanisation through a series of films centred on working-class characters.)
• 为应对此次公共卫生事件，部门在四十八小时内启动了一系列应急机制，涵盖溯源、隔离、调配与舆情疏导。(To respond to this public health incident, the department activated a series of emergency mechanisms within forty-eight hours, covering tracing, quarantine, allocation, and public opinion guidance.)

Don't Say

• 一系列的一个问题 — 一系列 already implies multiple items; saying 一系列的一个问题 (a series of one problem) is self-contradictory; simply use 一个问题 for a single issue or 一系列问题 for multiple related ones

Origin & History

一 (one/a — indefinite article) + 系列 (series/set — 系 thread/connection + 列 row/arrangement) — literally 'one connected arrangement/thread of items'

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal