▎萬一, wànyī, (Adv), supposing, in the event of something negative

 

Function This adverb literally means a ‘one in 10 thousand’ likelihood. It refers to something unlikely but possible nonetheless.

1 他請我幫他買一本詞典，萬一沒買到，那怎麼辦呢？

Tā qǐng wǒ bāng tā mǎi yì běn cídiǎn, wànyī méi mǎidào, nà zěnme bàn ne?

He’s asked me to buy a dictionary for him. What should I do if I can’t get my hands on one?

2 萬一別人知道是我們弄錯的，那就糟了。可能不會再信任我們了。

Wànyī biérén zhīdào shì wǒmen nòng cuò de, nà jiù zāo le. Kěnéng bú huì zài xìnrèn wǒmen le.

If other people found out it was our mistake, then we’re finished. They’ll never trust us again.

3 你別太早去。萬一她還沒準備好，就得在外面等了。

Nǐ bié tài zǎo qù. Wànyī tā hái méi zhǔnbèihǎo, jiù děi zài wàimiàn děng le.

Don’t go too early. If she’s not ready you’ll have to wait outside.

4 多練習幾次吧。萬一我們表演得很糟，就太丟臉了。

Duō liànxí jǐ cì ba. Wànyī wǒmen biǎoyǎn de hěn zāo, jiù tài diūliǎn le.

Let’s go over it a few more times. It would be really mortifying if our performance turned out atrocious.

5 帶本漫畫去吧。萬一得等很久，就可以看漫畫殺時間。

Dài běn mànhuà qù ba. Wànyī děi děng hěn jiǔ, jiù kěyǐ kàn mànhuà shā shíjiān.

Bring a comic book with you to kill some time in the event that we have to wait a while.

 

Usage 萬一 denotes the supposition of an undesirable instance, and can also be used with other adverbs or conjunctions. E.g.,

1 就算萬一發生什麼事，也不要緊張。

Jiùsuàn wànyī fāshēng shénme shì, yě bú yào jǐnzhāng.

Even if, on the off chance, something happens, don’t be nervous.

2 要是萬一錢不夠的話，你可以跟朋友先借。

Yàoshi wànyī qián bú gòu de huà, nǐ kěyǐ gēn péngyǒu xiān jiè.

In the event that there isn’t enough money, you can borrow some from a friend first.