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

This pattern tells us that as soon as (一) one thing happened, then (就) another thing happened immediately afterward.

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

Examples

• 我 一 看到 他 就 很 讨厌 。
• 我 一 想到 上班 就 很 烦 。
• 他 一 生气 脸 就 红 。

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