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

This pattern tells us that as soon as one thing happens, then another thing happens 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.

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.

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 starving. I'm going to have lunch as soon as 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 our 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 mom arrived home, she went off to cook.
• 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 in 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.

一 + 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.
• 她 一 生气 就 脸红 。Tā yī shēngqì jiù liǎn hóng.Every time she gets angry, her face turns red.
• 你 怎么 一 吃 火锅 就 拉肚子 ？Nǐ zěnme yī chī huǒguō jiù lādùzi?How come you have diarrhea every time you eat hotpot?
• 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 说到 物理 ，我 就 头疼 。Yī shuōdào wùlì, wǒ jiù tóuténg.Every time we talk about physics, it gives me headache.

Sources and further reading

Books

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

See also

• Expressing earliness with "jiu"
• Expressing "once...then..." with "yidan...jiu..."
• Actions in a row