Expressing simultaneous actions with "yimian"

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

Structure

一面 + Verb + 一面 + Verb

Examples

• 我 一面 哭 一面 跑。Wǒ yīmiàn kū yīmiàn pǎo.I cried while running away.
• 他 喜欢 一面 吃 东西 ， 一面 看 电影 。Tā xǐhuan yīmiàn chī dōngxi, yīmiàn kàn diànyǐng.He likes to eat and watch movies at the same time.
• 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 !Wǒ gàosù nǐ duōshǎo cì le, bié yīmiàn tǎng zài chuángshang yīmiàn chī língshí! Nòng de chuángshàng dōu shì suìxiè!I've told you so many times: don't eat while lying in bed. You've gotten crumbs all over the bed!
• 他们 一家人 一面 赏月 一面 吃 月饼。Tāmen yījiārén yīmiàn shǎngyuè yīmiàn chī yuèbǐng.They enjoy the full moon and eat moon cakes together as a family.
• 你 会 一面 拍头 一面 揉 肚子 吗？Nǐ huì yīmiàn pāi tóu yīmiàn róu dùzi ma?Can you pat your head and rub your belly at the same time?
• 为了 赚 钱，哥哥 一面 读书 一面 做 兼职。Wèile zhuànqián, gēge yīmiàn dúshū yīmiàn zuò jiānzhí.To earn money, my big brother is studying and working part-time at the same time.

一面 cannot be shortened in the way while 一边 can:

• 我 面 工作 面 学习。Wǒ miàn gōngzuò miàn xuéxí.
• 我 边 工作 边 学习。Wǒ biān gōngzuò biān xuéxí.I work and study at the same time.

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 "on the one hand... on the other hand" in English.

• 政府 一面 要 控制 通货膨胀， 一面 也 要 保证 一定 的 经济 增长 速度。Zhèngfǔ yīmiàn yào kòngzhì tōnghuò péngzhàng, yīmiàn yě yào bǎozhèng yīdìng de jīngjì zēngzhǎng sùdù.On one hand, the government needs to control inflation, but on the other hand, it needs to guarantee a certain amount of economic growth.
• 小丽 一面 想 谈 恋爱 一面 又 不 想 受伤。Xiǎolì yīmiàn xiǎng tán liàn'ài yīmiàn yòu bù xiǎng shòushāng.Xiaoli, on the one hand, wants to date, and on the other hand, doesn't want to get hurt.

See also

• Simultaneous tasks with "yibian"
• "Along with…" using "suizhe"
• Expressing various aspects with "yi fangmian"

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. 323-5 ) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

HSK5