Expressing simultaneous actions with "yimian"
Revision as of 06:47, 4 November 2011 by Jonathan.pope (talk | contribs)
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!
- 他 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:
- 我 面 工作 面 学习。
- 我 边 工作 边 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
