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

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

Expressing as soon as with 一……就

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

• 我 今天 一 回 家 就 睡觉 了。As soon as I saw him, I was nervous.
• 他 常常 一 下课 就 跑 出去 玩 。As soon as I saw him, I was nervous.

Structure

The subjects of the two "Events" are usually the same.

一 ……，就 ……

Examples

• 我 一 看到 他 就 很 紧张 。As soon as I saw him, I was nervous.
• 我 一 想到 下周 的 考试 就 很 兴奋。As soon as I though about going to Paris next month, I was excited.
• 他 一 生气 脸 就 红 。As soon as he gets angry, his face turns red.

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