For most Chinese learners, the first meaning they learned for 有 yǒu, is probably its basic meaning: ‘to possess, to have’. However, that is only one part of the story.

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For most Chinese learners, the first meaning they learned for 有 yǒu, is probably its basic meaning: &lsquo;to possess, to have&rsquo;.
 1. Possession
The object after 有 can be a concrete noun, such as &lsquo;house&rsquo;, &lsquo;car&rsquo;, &lsquo;brother&rsquo;, etc.; it also can be an abstract noun such as opportunity, confidence, hope etc.
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For example:
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我有一个弟弟。 I have one younger brother.
我今天下午有空。 I will have spare time this afternoon.
她很有信心通过这次考试。 She has confidence to pass the exam.
Besides possession, 有 yǒu has many other meanings.
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2. Existence
有 yǒu expresses existence - the equivalent to &lsquo;there is&rsquo; or &lsquo;there are&rsquo; sentences in English. The basic sentence structure is:
[somewhere] 有 [somebody or something]
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For example:
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桌子上有一本书。 There is a book on the table.
教室里有五个学生。 There are five students in the classroom.
前面有一个电影院。 There is a theater ahead.
银行和商店之间有一个邮局。 There is a post office between the bank and the store.
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3. Estimation
有 yǒu expresses estimation, often indicating to what degree somebody or something can reach.
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For example:
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他有多高？ How tall is he?
我觉得，他有一米八左右。 I think he&rsquo;s about 180 centimeters tall.
太热了！今天的温度有38度! So hot! Today&rsquo;s temperature might reach 38℃!
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4. Comparison
有 yǒu expresses comparison, that is, to indicate that two people or two things are alike to a certain degree or in a certain aspect.
Affirmative Sentence structure: A有B + adjective/verb
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For example:
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他有他爸爸那么高。 He is as tall as his father.
他有他爸爸那么喜欢音乐吗？ Does he like music as much as his father?
谁有我这么喜欢他? Who loves him as much as I do?
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 Negative sentence structure: A没有B + adjective/verb
&nbsp;For example:
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他没有他爸爸那么高。 He is not as tall as his father.
今天没有昨天热。 Today is not as hot as yesterday.
他没有他爸爸那么爱音乐。 He doesn&rsquo;t love music as much as his father does.
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5. Occurrence or Appearance
有 yǒu indicates occurrence or appearance.
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For example:
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他有了严重的心脏病。 He got a serious heart disease.
去美国以后，她有了很多的变化。 After she went to the US, she changed a lot.
你的汉语发音有了很大进步。 You&rsquo;ve made a lot of progress with your Chinese pronunciation.
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6. A portion of the total; &lsquo;some&rsquo;.
有 yǒu, placed before a person, time or place noun, indicates a portion of the total, just like English &lsquo;some&rsquo;.
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For example:
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这本书很特别，有人喜欢，有人不喜欢。 This book is very special, some people like, some don&rsquo;t.
有时候，我觉得学习外语非常难。 Sometimes, I feel learning a foreign language is very hard.
上海很大，有地方好玩，有地方不好玩。 Shanghai is very big; some places are interesting, and some are boring.
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7. Non-specific reference
有 yǒu is used in phrases like:
有一天 有一年 有一个人 有一个地方
in which the reference to the day, the year, the person, or the place is not specific.
有一天，他做了一个很奇怪的梦。 One day, he had a very strange dream.
有一年，他的家乡发了洪水。 One year, his hometown had a big flood.
从前，有一个人在这里修了一座桥。 Once upon a time, a person built a bridge here.
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