Expressing "all at once" with "yixiazi"

一下子 (yīxiàzi) can be used as an adverb meaning "all at once." It has to come at the beginning of the sentence.

Basic Usage

Structure

一下子 (yīxiàzi) is a very informal expression to describe how fast things happened. In colloquial Chinese, "一下" is also used.

Subj. + 一下子 + Verb + 了

Examples

• 他 一下子 吃 了 三 碗 米饭。Tā yīxiàzi chī le sān wǎn mǐfàn.He ate three bowls of rice all at once.
• 天气 一下子 变 冷 了。Tiānqì yīxiàzi biàn lěng le.The weather is suddenly getting cold.
• 她 下楼 的时候 不 小心，一下子 摔倒 了。Tā xiàlóu de shíhou bù xiǎoxīn, yīxiàzi shuāidǎo le.She wasn't careful going down the stairs, and suddenly fell.
• 我 太 紧张 了，一下 想 不 起来 了。Wǒ tài jǐnzhāng le, yīxià xiǎng bu qǐlái le.I was too nervous to remember it right then.
• 她 在 美国 的 第 一 个 月一下 瘦 了 十 斤。 Tā zài Měiguó de dì yī gè yuè yīxià shòu le shí jīn.She lost five kilograms the first month she was in the USA.

Used with 就

Structure

Subj. + 一下子 + 就 + Verb + 了

Examples

• 听 他 说 完，我 一下子 就 明白 了。Tīng tā shuō wán, wǒ yīxiàzi jiù míngbai le.After hearing him out, I understood everything all at once.
• 他 是 最 高 的，我 一下 就 看到 他 了。Tā shì zuì gāo de, wǒ yīxià jiù kàndào tā le.He is the tallest. I spotted him right away.
• 拍 完 那 部 电影 以后，他 一下子 就 出名 了。Pāi wán nà bù diànyǐng yǐhòu, tā yīxiàzi jiù chūmíng le.He became very famous soon after that movie.
• 他 的 新 书 很 受 欢迎，一下 就 卖 了 三 千 本。Tā de xīn shū hěn shòu huānyíng, yīxià jiù mài le sān qiān běn.His new book is very popular. Three thousand books were sold all at once.

See also

• Verb reduplication with yi
• Verb reduplication

Sources and further reading

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (p. 126) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (p. 206)→buy