Expressing "all at once" with "yixiazi"

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一下子 (yīxiàzi) can be used as an adverb meaning "all at once." It has to come at the beginning of the sentence.

Basic Usage

Structure

一下子 (yīxiàzi) is a very informal expression to describe how fast things happened. In colloquial Chinese, "一下" is also used.

Subj. + 一下子 + Verb + 了

Examples

  • 一下子 吃 了 三 碗 米饭 。yīxiàzi chī le sān wǎn mǐfàn.He ate three bowls of rice all at once.
  • 听到 狗 叫 ,宝宝 一下子 哭 了 起来 。Tīngdào gǒu jiào, bǎobao yīxiàzi kū le qǐlai.The baby burst into crying the moment he heard the dog barking.
  • 天气 一下 变 冷 了。Tiānqì yīxià biàn lěng le.The weather is suddenly getting cold.
  • 她 下楼 的时候 不 小心 ,一下子 摔倒 了。Tā xiàlóu de shíhou bù xiǎoxīn, yīxiàzi shuāidǎo le.She wasn't careful going down the stairs, and suddenly fell.
  • 她 上 个 月 一下 瘦 了 十 斤 。 One "jin" = 500gTā shàng gè yuè yīxià shòu le shí jīn.She lost ten jin the first last month.

Used with 就

Structure

Subj. + 一下子 + 就 + Verb + 了

Examples

  • 听 他 说 完,我 一下子 就 明白 了 。Tīng tā shuō wán, wǒ yīxiàzi jiù míngbai le.After hearing him out, I understood everything all at once.
  • 他 是 最 高 的,我 一下 就 看到 他 了 。Tā shì zuì gāo de, wǒ yīxià jiù kàndào tā le.He is the tallest. I spotted him right away.
  • 拍 完 那 部 电影 以后,他 一下子 就 出名 了 。Pāi wán nà bù diànyǐng yǐhòu, tā yīxiàzi jiù chūmíng le.He became very famous soon after that movie.
  • 他 的 新 书 很 受 欢迎,一下 就 卖 了 三 千 本 。Tā de xīn shū hěn shòu huānyíng, yīxià jiù mài le sān qiān běn.His new book is very popular. Three thousand books were sold all at once.
  • 老师 给 了 我 一点 提示,我 一下子 就 想 起来 了 。Lǎoshī gěi le wǒ yīdiǎn tíshì, wǒ yīxiàzi jiù xiǎng qǐlai le.The teacher gave me a little hint. I recalled it right away.

See also

Sources and further reading