Expressing simultaneous actions with "yimian"

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一面 (yìmiàn) is a more formal than 一边, but is used in the same way to express two simultaneous actions. It is used in the following way:

一面 + verb + 一面 + verb

And some examples:

  • 我 告诉 你 多少 次 了,别 一面 躺 在 床上 一面 吃 零食!弄得 床上 都 是 碎屑!
  • 一面 赏月 一面想念 家乡。
  • 你 会 一面 拍头 一面 揉 肚子 吗?

一面 cannot be shortened in the way 一边 can:

  • 工作 学习。
  • 工作 学习。


一面 can also be used to express two aspects of a situation, which are not necessarily being enacted simultaneously. This is the same as the structure: "一方面...一方面..." or the English "on the one hand...one the other hand"

  • 政府 一面 要 控制 通货膨胀, 一面 也 要 保持 一定 的 经济 增长 速度。

Sources and further reading

Books

Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) pp. 323-325