Expressing "all at once" with "yixiazi"
一下子 (yīxiàzi) can be used as an adverb, meaning "all at once." Because it inherently encompasses a sense of "completion," it's typically going to be followed by a 了 (le) later in the sentence.
Contents
Used as "All at Once"
一下子 (yīxiàzi) is a very informal expression to describe how fast things happened. It usually touches upon sudden or severe changes in a very short amount of time. Although 一下子 (yīxiàzi) is already quite informal, in colloquial Chinese 一下 (yīxià) can also be used to express the same thing.
Structure
Subj. + 一下子 + Predicate + 了
Examples
- 天气 一下子 变 冷 了 。The weather suddenly got cold.
- 他 一下子 吃 了 三 碗 米饭 。He ate three bowls of rice all at once.
- 她 下楼 的时候 一下子 摔倒 了 。As she went down the stairs, she suddenly fell.
- 我们 说话 的 时候 ，她 一下子 哭 了 。She burst into tears when we were talking.
- 她 上 个 月 一下子 瘦 了 很 多 。Last month, she lost a lot of weight all at once.
Used as "Quickly" and "Naturally"
一下子 (yīxiàzi), followed with 就 (jiù), usually implies that things happened very quickly, naturally, and easily. Again, 一下 (yīxià) can also be used instead of 一下子 (yīxiàzi).
Structure
Subj. + 一下子 + 就 + Predicate + 了
Examples
- 老师 进来 以后 ，大家 一下子 就 安静 了 。Everyone became silent after the teacher came in.
- 听 他 说 完 ，我 一下子 就 明白 了 。After hearing him out, I understood everything all at once.
- 他 是 最 高 的 ，我 一下子 就 看到 他 了 。He is the tallest. I spotted him right away.
- 拍 完 那 部 电影 ，他 一下子 就 出名 了 。He became very famous soon after that movie came out.
- 看到 那 张 照片 ，我 一下子 就 想 起来 了 。It all came back to me when I saw that picture.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 126) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
- 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (pp. 206) [ →buy]
