<p>The term &quot;one-off&quot; is a common term in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. It's also commonly used in the US or Canada, though to a lesser extent.</p>
<p>There are mainly 3 types of &quot;one-off&quot;s in English.</p>
<ol>
<li><em>一次性</em> (Formal, sometimes governmental) activities done, made, or happening only once. When it ends it will not be done / be created / happen again.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>one-off</strong> donation <strong>一次性</strong>捐款 /
<strong>one-off</strong> grant <strong>一次性</strong>拨款 /
<strong>one-off</strong> deduction <strong>一次性</strong>扣除</p>
<p>Chile made a <strong>one-off</strong> cash bonus payment to the poorest 40 per cent.</p>
<p>智利向最贫穷的那40%的人口支付了一笔<strong>一次性</strong>现金补助。</p>
<p>Government introduces <strong>one-off</strong> resident visa for 160,000 migrants</p>
<p>政府向16万移民发放<strong>一次性</strong>居民签证</p>
<p>In some Chinese-speaking communities where 性 is used exclusively for sex-related terms in local Chinese varieties, it's translated differently. In Hong Kong: 一次過.</p>
<ol start="2">
<li><em>No corresponding term in Chinese.</em> Events / things done, made, or happening only once. Not counted as part of a regular sequence.</li>
</ol>
<p>The concept of emergency as a <strong>one-off</strong>, unpredicted crisis also needs to be reconsidered.</p>
<p>还需要重新考虑紧急情况这个概念是否能被定义为一种<strong>偶发</strong>而出乎意料的危机。</p>
<p>(Technically speaking, &quot;偶发&quot; is not the equivalence of &quot;one-off&quot;. )</p>
<p>The meeting is a <strong>one-off</strong>. 这个会议是<strong>临时</strong>的。</p>
<p>(Technically speaking, one-off meeting ≠ ad hoc meeting 临时（特设）的会议. )</p>
<ol start="3">
<li><em>只/仅此一</em>* (* = a measure word，e.g. 只此一次、只此一家、只此一件) Something that is unique and oftentimes valuable. If you miss it you'll never see / use / experience it again. You will regret it.</li>
</ol>
<p><strong>one-off</strong> design</p>
<p><strong>只此一款</strong>的设计</p>
<p>New Ferrari SP51 unveiled as a <strong>one-off</strong> commission</p>
<p>法拉利新车SP51正式亮相，全球<strong>仅此一辆</strong> / <strong>仅此一台</strong></p>
<p>Blur Reuniting For A <strong>ONE-OFF</strong> Show At Wembley Stadium</p>
<p><strong>仅此一场</strong>！Blur乐队重聚温布利球场演唱会</p>
<p>——————————————————————————————————————————</p>
<p>There are mainly 3 types of &quot;一次性&quot;s in Chinese.</p>
<ol>
<li>Disposable</li>
</ol>
<p>一次性手套 disposable gloves</p>
<ol start="2">
<li>One-off</li>
</ol>
<p>一次性捐款 one-off donation</p>
<ol start="3">
<li>In one go</li>
</ol>
<p>一次性通过所有考试 pass all exams in one go</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-15T17:02:45.007Z
Unless it is because it is used all the time in the UK/Australia/NZ and I just don't realize it, I would not say that "one-off" is not that common in Canada. I would agree that "one-time" is more commonly used than "one-off" and that "one-off" has a more casual tone to it than "one-time" does in Canada, but "one-off" does not seem that rare or foreign to me. Anyway, +1 for the nice explanation.
2ndQuantized
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-16T05:27:52.577Z
Thanks. I've updated my answer.
user
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-15T08:32:03.190Z
2022-11-16T05:22:23.917Z
2022-11-16T05:22:23.917Z
user
<blockquote>
<p>the meeting is a one-off</p>
<p>会议是一次性的</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If this sentence only, I reckon it's correct. It may be inaccurate in some context: e.g. if this sentence is in a dialog to distinguish it from &quot;Regular meeting&quot; 例会，you can say &quot;这是个临时会议&quot; or similar to express.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-15T03:29:44.017Z
2022-11-15T03:29:44.017Z
Havier
<p>one-off = one time only = 只此一次</p>
<blockquote>
<p>the meeting is a <strong>one-off</strong></p>
</blockquote>
<p>是<strong>只此一次</strong>的会议</p>
<p>Note 1:</p>
<p>一次性 = disposable</p>
<p>绝无仅有 = the one and only</p>
<p>Note 2:</p>
<p>one-off is an adjective</p>
<p>one-off event is a noun</p>
<p>Saying one-off is a noun is like saying disposable is a noun</p>
<p>Example:</p>
<p>This meeting is a one-off (event)</p>
<p>They call us the old folks the disposable(people)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-14T23:13:51.120Z
2022-11-14T23:26:47.517Z
2022-11-14T23:26:47.517Z
Tang Ho
<p>According to my dictionary, &quot;one-off&quot; is an adjective that means &quot; 一次性的&quot;, as in &quot;a one-off payment&quot;. It can be used as a noun, that means &quot;一次性事物&quot;, such as &quot;the meeting is a one-off&quot;.</p>
<p><strong>one-off (UK) one-shot (US)</strong></p>
<p><strong>ADJECTIVE</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>something done, made, or happening only once and not repeated - &quot;one-off tax deductible donations to charity&quot;
synonyms:</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>NOUN</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>something done, made, or happening only once, not as part of a regular sequence - &quot;the meeting is a one-off&quot;</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-15T00:30:59.790Z
2022-11-15T14:28:46.643Z
2022-11-15T14:28:46.643Z
r13
<p>Apparently, one-off, sounding suspiciously like 'one of', referred originally to a prototype of a manufactured product. The phrase was only later used figuratively.</p>
<p>one-off: 一次性</p>
<p>Vespa builds a one-off, four seater ‘Stretch Scooter’.<br />
伟士牌(Vespa)制造了一款一次性四座“踏板车”.</p>
<p>(God, I remember driving that Vespa the first time! My brother said, &quot;Careful, the clutch is a bit fierce on these.&quot; Next second I was in the hedge!)</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-15T09:06:13.813Z
2022-11-15T09:06:13.813Z
Pedroski
<blockquote>
<p>one-off: (n.) something done, made, or happening only once, not as part of a regular sequence; &quot;<em>the meeting is a one-off</em>&quot;</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I've been using the phrase 一次性 to mean &quot;one-off&quot; (or &quot;once-off&quot;), which my iTalki teacher indicated didn't have this meaning, but I still don't know what the correct expression is.  E.g., I might say...</p>
<blockquote>
<p>the meeting is a one-off<br />
会议是一次性的</p>
</blockquote>
<p><a href="https://youdao.com/result?word=one-off&amp;lang=en" rel="nofollow noreferrer">YouDao</a> gives 一次性 and 绝无仅有, neither of which seem appropriate.</p>
<p><strong>Question</strong>: How can I express the concept of a &quot;one-off&quot;?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-15T01:09:07.947Z
Depending on the context, it might be better to simply use the negative definition (that is, a one-off meeting is non-recurring), so just say 会议是不重复/非周期性的（or 非定期/临时, if appropriate）
EEQ
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-15T01:54:26.390Z
I feel that 一次过 is what you want.
Wayne Cheah
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-11-15T15:16:58.893Z
Are you sure you want a self-contained sentence "This meeting is a one-off.", as opposed to using the expression inside a longer sentence, such as "During tomorrow's one-off 2pm meeting, we will discuss the budget for our project."?
Stef
<translation>
How can I express the concept of a "one-off"?
# How can I express the concept of a "one-off"?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-11-14)

> one-off: (n.) something done, made, or happening only once, not as part of a regular sequence; "*the meeting is a one-off*"

I've been using the phrase 一次性 to mean "one-off" (or "once-off"), which my iTalki teacher indicated didn't have this meaning, but I still don't know what the correct expression is. E.g., I might say...

> the meeting is a one-off  
> 会议是一次性的

[YouDao](https://youdao.com/result?word=one-off&lang=en) gives 一次性 and 绝无仅有, neither of which seem appropriate.

**Question**: How can I express the concept of a "one-off"?

**Tags:** translation

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Depending on the context, it might be better to simply use the negative definition (that is, a one-off meeting is non-recurring), so just say 会议是不重复/非周期性的（or 非定期/临时, if appropriate）  
> **username_2**: I feel that 一次过 is what you want.  
> **username_3**: Are you sure you want a self-contained sentence "This meeting is a one-off.", as opposed to using the expression inside a longer sentence, such as "During tomorrow's one-off 2pm meeting, we will discuss the budget for our project."?  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2022-11-15. Score: 3

The term "one-off" is a common term in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. It's also commonly used in the US or Canada, though to a lesser extent.

There are mainly 3 types of "one-off"s in English.

1. *一次性* (Formal, sometimes governmental) activities done, made, or happening only once. When it ends it will not be done / be created / happen again.

**one-off** donation **一次性**捐款 /
**one-off** grant **一次性**拨款 /
**one-off** deduction **一次性**扣除

Chile made a **one-off** cash bonus payment to the poorest 40 per cent.

智利向最贫穷的那40%的人口支付了一笔**一次性**现金补助。

Government introduces **one-off** resident visa for 160,000 migrants

政府向16万移民发放**一次性**居民签证

In some Chinese-speaking communities where 性 is used exclusively for sex-related terms in local Chinese varieties, it's translated differently. In Hong Kong: 一次過.

2. *No corresponding term in Chinese.* Events / things done, made, or happening only once. Not counted as part of a regular sequence.

The concept of emergency as a **one-off**, unpredicted crisis also needs to be reconsidered.

还需要重新考虑紧急情况这个概念是否能被定义为一种**偶发**而出乎意料的危机。

(Technically speaking, "偶发" is not the equivalence of "one-off". )

The meeting is a **one-off**. 这个会议是**临时**的。

(Technically speaking, one-off meeting ≠ ad hoc meeting 临时（特设）的会议. )

3. *只/仅此一*\* (\* = a measure word，e.g. 只此一次、只此一家、只此一件) Something that is unique and oftentimes valuable. If you miss it you'll never see / use / experience it again. You will regret it.

**one-off** design

**只此一款**的设计

New Ferrari SP51 unveiled as a **one-off** commission

法拉利新车SP51正式亮相，全球**仅此一辆** / **仅此一台**

Blur Reuniting For A **ONE-OFF** Show At Wembley Stadium

**仅此一场**！Blur乐队重聚温布利球场演唱会

——————————————————————————————————————————

There are mainly 3 types of "一次性"s in Chinese.

1. Disposable

一次性手套 disposable gloves

2. One-off

一次性捐款 one-off donation

3. In one go

一次性通过所有考试 pass all exams in one go

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: Unless it is because it is used all the time in the UK/Australia/NZ and I just don't realize it, I would not say that "one-off" is not that common in Canada. I would agree that "one-time" is more commonly used than "one-off" and that "one-off" has a more casual tone to it than "one-time" does in Canada, but "one-off" does not seem that rare or foreign to me. Anyway, +1 for the nice explanation.  
> **username_4**: Thanks. I've updated my answer.  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2022-11-15. Score: 1

> the meeting is a one-off
>
> 会议是一次性的

If this sentence only, I reckon it's correct. It may be inaccurate in some context: e.g. if this sentence is in a dialog to distinguish it from "Regular meeting" 例会，you can say "这是个临时会议" or similar to express.


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2022-11-14. Score: 1

one-off = one time only = 只此一次

> the meeting is a **one-off**

是**只此一次**的会议

Note 1:

一次性 = disposable

绝无仅有 = the one and only

Note 2:

one-off is an adjective

one-off event is a noun

Saying one-off is a noun is like saying disposable is a noun

Example:

This meeting is a one-off (event)

They call us the old folks the disposable(people)


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2022-11-15. Score: 1

According to my dictionary, "one-off" is an adjective that means " 一次性的", as in "a one-off payment". It can be used as a noun, that means "一次性事物", such as "the meeting is a one-off".

**one-off (UK) one-shot (US)**

**ADJECTIVE**

* something done, made, or happening only once and not repeated - "one-off tax deductible donations to charity"
  synonyms:

**NOUN**

* something done, made, or happening only once, not as part of a regular sequence - "the meeting is a one-off"


---

### Answer by username_9 on 2022-11-15. Score: 0

Apparently, one-off, sounding suspiciously like 'one of', referred originally to a prototype of a manufactured product. The phrase was only later used figuratively.

one-off: 一次性

Vespa builds a one-off, four seater ‘Stretch Scooter’.  
伟士牌(Vespa)制造了一款一次性四座“踏板车”.

(God, I remember driving that Vespa the first time! My brother said, "Careful, the clutch is a bit fierce on these." Next second I was in the hedge!)


---

