……之一
Reach for this whenever you'd say 'one of the [most X / biggest / oldest] ___' in English. 之一 sits at the END of a noun phrase to mark that the thing you just described is a member of a larger set — usually a flattering one (one of the top, one of the most famous, one of the few). It's slightly formal, very common in news, intros, and bios.
Structure
[NOUN PHRASE] 之一
...zhī yī
How to Think About It
之一 goes at the END, after the whole description, not where 'one of' sits in English. English front-loads — 'one of the most famous universities.' Chinese tail-loads — '最著名的大学之一' (the most-famous-university-one-of). Get the order wrong and the sentence collapses. Also: the noun phrase before 之一 almost always contains 最 or another superlative, because there's no point flagging 'one of many ordinary things.'
Examples
他是我最好的朋友之一。
Tā shì wǒ zuì hǎo de péngyou zhī yī.
He's one of my closest friends.
上海是世界上最大的城市之一。
Shànghǎi shì shìjiè shàng zuì dà de chéngshì zhī yī.
Shanghai is one of the largest cities in the world.
这是我读过最好的小说之一。
Zhè shì wǒ dú guò zuì hǎo de xiǎoshuō zhī yī.
This is one of the best novels I've ever read.
环境保护是我们最重要的任务之一。
Huánjìng bǎohù shì wǒmen zuì zhòngyào de rènwù zhī yī.
Protecting the environment is one of our most important tasks.
北京是中国最大的城市之一。
Běijīng shì Zhōngguó zuì dà de chéngshì zhī yī.
Beijing is one of the largest cities in China.
他是公司里最重要的员工之一。
Tā shì gōngsī lǐ zuì zhòngyào de yuángōng zhī yī.
He's one of the most important employees in the company.
Common Mistake
Learners translate 'one of' literally and put 一 or 一个 at the front, then forget 之一 at the end. The Chinese pattern only needs 之一 — the front '一个' is wrong and doubles up the meaning.
他是一个最好的老师。
他是最好的老师之一。
Don't Confuse With
其中一个
'One of them' — used when the group has already been mentioned. 之一 names the group inside the noun phrase itself. Use 其中一个 in follow-up sentences; use 之一 when the group is built into the phrase.
一个 + Noun
'A / one [noun]' — just numerical. 之一 specifically means 'one out of a defined set,' implying membership in a notable group.
之中
'Among' — used as a locative ('among the crowd'). 之一 means 'one of'; 之中 means 'within / among.' Don't substitute.
其中之一
Used when the set was just mentioned ('among them, one is...'). 之一 by itself names the set inside the phrase: '十大城市之一' (one of the top ten cities) vs. '他是其中之一' (he's one of them).
其中一个
More colloquial and less formal than 之一. Use 其中一个 in speech when you don't need the elevated register: '我最喜欢的电影其中一个是...' vs. '...是我最喜欢的电影之一'.
Practice
Fill in: 长城是中国最有名的景点 ___ 。
Show answer
之一
Translate to Chinese: He is one of the best students in our class.
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他是我们班最好的学生之一。
Arrange: 之一 / 是 / 城市 / 中国 / 最美的 / 杭州
Show answer
杭州是中国最美的城市之一。
Use 之一 to describe something or someone notable.
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篮球是世界上最受欢迎的运动之一。
她是我们班最聪明的学生 ___。
Show answer
之一
这家餐厅是城里 ___ 有名的餐厅之一。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 3 Fluentide episodes:
这是美国甚至全世界最著名的大学之一。
这个故事只是无数个类似故事中的一个。
他是世界上最好的人之一。
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear ……之一 in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start, no card.