Events in quick succession with "yi... jiu..."

This pattern tells us that as soon as one thing happened, then another thing happened immediately afterwards. You mark the two events with 一 (yī) and 就 (jiù).

Used as "as soon as"

Structure

The pattern involves two different events, the first preceded by "一," and then the second event, which follows in quick succession, preceded by 就.

Subj. + 一 + Event 1，就 + Event 2

The subjects of the two "Events" can be the same, but they don't have to be. If they're the same, then you don't need to repeat the subject for the second one.

Note that it can be used

Examples

• 饿 死了，我 一 下课 就 要 去 吃 午饭 。È sǐ le, wǒ yī xiàkè jiù yào qù chī wǔfàn.I'm starved. I will go to lunch as soon as the class is over.
• 你 能 不 能 一 下班 就 去 接 孩子 ？Nǐ néng bu néng yī xiàbān jiù qù jiē háizi?Can you go to pick up the kid as soon as you get off work?
• 妈妈 一 到 家 就 去 做饭 了 。Māma yī dào jiā jiù qù zuòfàn le.As soon as mother arrived home, she went to cook dinner.
• 老师 一 来 大家 就 不 说话 了。Lǎoshī yī lái dàjiā jiù bù shuōhuà le.As soon as the teacher came , everyone stopped talking.
• 我 一 进门 ，小狗 就 跑 了 过来 。Wǒ yī jìn mén, xiǎogǒu jiù pǎo le guòlái.As soon as I walked into the door, the puppy ran over to me.

Used as "Every Time"

Structure

In this case, 一 means "every time," followed by some certain condition, which could be the reason or the cause of what happened after 就. The subjects of the two "Events" are usually the same.

Subj. + 一 + Situation / Reason，就 + Result

Examples

• 我 一 想到 这 件 事 就 不 高兴 。Wǒ yī xiǎngdào zhè jiàn shì jiù bù gāoxìng.Every time I think about this, I get upset.
• 老师 一 生气 就 脸红 。Lǎoshī yī shēngqì jiù liǎn hóng.Every time the teacher gets angry, his face turns red.
• 她 一 吃 火锅 就 拉肚子 。Tā yī chī huǒguō jiù lādùzi.Every time she eats hotpot, she has diarrhea.
• 他 一 上 英语 课 就 想 睡觉 。Tā yī shàng Yīngyǔ kè jiù xiǎng shuìjiào.Every time he takes English class, he feels like falling asleep.
• 一 不 让 弟弟 玩 iPad ，他 就 哭 。Yī bù ràng dìdi wán iPad, tā jiù kū.Every time we ask my younger brother to stop playing with iPad, he cries.

Sources and further reading

Books

• Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 184) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 240) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp.169) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 206-7) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 88-9) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 85-7) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (pp. 173, 189)→buy