Verbing briefly with "yixia"

Revision as of 08:20, 18 March 2014 by Mixue (talk | contribs) (→‎Examples)
Chinese-grammar-wiki-yixia.jpg

After briefly reading this article, you will know how to use 一下 (yīxià) to express a brief action!

Structure

To express that a verb is carried out briefly or "a little bit," you can add 一下 after it. Sometimes 一下 can soften the tone.

Subject + Verb + 一下 + Object

Often, adding 一下 just makes the Chinese feel more natural. This is not something you can get a feel for quickly. You'll want to observe how native speakers use 一下 over a long period of time to really get used to how it is used.

Examples

  • 请 你 等 一下Please wait a little bit.
  • 你 看 一下Take a quick look.
  • 请 你 读 一下Can you please read a bit of it.
  • 我 听 一下I'll listen.
  • 一下Try it.
  • 我 要 想 一下I want to think a little.
  • 请 你 说 一下 为什么。Please tell why.
  • 不 要 哭 了,笑 一下Don't cry, laugh!
  • 宝宝,亲 一下 爸爸。Baby, give your dad a kiss.
  • 一下 窗 吧。Please open the window.
  • 一下 这 个 字。Please write that character.

See also

Sources and further reading