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

This pattern tells us that as soon as one thing happened, then another thing happened immediately afterwards. You mark the two events with 一 (yī) and 就 (jiù).

Used as "as soon as"

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.

Subj. + 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

  • 老师 来 大家 不 说话 了。Lǎoshī lái dàjiā jiù bù shuōhuà le.As soon as the teacher came , everyone stopped talking.
  • 我 每天 进 家门 小狗 会 跑过来 。As soon as I enter the house, the puppy will run over to me.
  • 下班 去 接 孩子 。As soon as I get off work, I need to go to pick up my child.
  • 饿 死了,我 下课 要 去 吃 午饭 。I'm starved. As soon as the class is over, I will go to lunch.
  • 他 今天 太 累 了, 到 家 去 睡 了 。He's too tired today. As soon as he hot home, he went to bed.

Used as "Every Time"

Structure

In this case, 一 means "every time," followed by some certain condition, which could be the reason or the cause of what happened after 就. The subjects of the two "Events" are usually the same.

Subj. + 一 + Situation / Reason,就 + Result

Examples

  • 想到 这 件 事 不 高兴 。 xiǎngdào zhè jiàn shì jiù bù gāoxìng.Every time I think about this, I get upset.
  • 老师 生气 脸红 。Lǎoshī shēngqì jiù liǎn hóng.Every time the teacher gets angry, his face turns red.
  • 吃 火锅 拉肚子 。 chī huǒguō jiù lā dùzi.Every time she eats hotpot, she has diarrhea.
  • 上 英语 课 想 睡觉 。 shàng Yīngyǔ kè jiù xiǎng shuìjiào.Every time he takes English class, he feels like falling asleep.
  • 不 让 弟弟 去 玩 iPad ,他 哭 。 bù ràng dìdi qù wán iPad, tā jiù kū.Every time we ask my younger brother to stop playing with iPad, he cries.

Sources and further reading

Books