Kilo Lingo
Mandarin grammar Part of Chapter 9

CEFR A2

4 min read

Test yourself (15 questions)

一…就 (yī…jiù) in Mandarin: As Soon As and Whenever

By Michael McGettrickUpdated 12 October 2026

(yī)… (jiù) glues two events together with no gap. Put (yī) before the first action and (jiù) before the second: as soon as one happens, the other follows. Without a (le) at the end, the same frame states a habit: whenever the first happens, so does the second.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

Tap the sentence with every part in the right place.

  1. As soon as I get home, I eat.

  2. The moment he comes, we leave.

  3. She laughed as soon as she heard it.

The whole pattern on one screen

The colours stay the same all page long:

一 yī (the first action)就 jiù (what follows)了 le at the end of the sentenceWhat do the colours mean?
ReadingHanziPinyinEnglish
One event。Tā yì huí jiā jiù shuì leHe went to sleep as soon as he got home
A habit。Wǒ yí lèi jiù xiǎng huí jiāWhenever I'm tired, I want to go home
Two people，。Tā yì lái, wǒmen jiù zǒuThe moment he comes, we leave
Subject
一 + first action
(Second subject)
就 + what follows
empty
，

The pattern: 一 (yī) + action, 就 (jiù) + result

一 yī (the first action)就 jiù (what follows)What do the colours mean?

Each word sits right before its own verb, after its own subject:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ yì huí jiā jiù chī fàn.As soon as I get home, I eat
，。Tā yì lái, wǒmen jiù zǒu.The moment he comes, we leave
。Tā yì tīng jiù xiào le.She laughed as soon as she heard it

Three rules hold it together:

  1. The subject comes before (yī): , never .
  2. A different second subject comes before (jiù): (wǒmen jiù zǒu), never .
  3. Keep (jiù). is broken. "As soon as" needs both halves.

(yī) changes tone as it does everywhere: yí before a fourth tone, yì before any other.

HanziPinyinWhy
yí kàn (kàn) is 4th tone
yì tīng (tīng) is 1st tone
yì huí jiā (huí) is 2nd tone
yì zǒu (zǒu) is 3rd tone

As soon as: one event straight after another

一 yī (the first action)就 jiù (what follows)了 le at the end of the sentenceWhat do the colours mean?

For one event that has happened, (le) goes at the very end, in the (jiù) half, not after the first verb:

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Tā yì huí jiā jiù shuì le.He went to sleep as soon as he got home
。Wǒ yí kàn jiù míngbai le.I understood at a glance
。Tā yí dào Zhōngguó jiù gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà le.He rang me the moment he got to China
。Míngtiān wǒ yí dào jiù gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà.Tomorrow I'll ring you the moment I arrive

The last row is one event in the future: no (le), because nothing has happened yet. The time word (míngtiān) tells you it is a single event, not a habit.

Whenever: habits and reactions

一 yī (the first action)就 jiù (what follows)What do the colours mean?

Leave the (le) off and the same frame states a rule: every time the first thing happens, the second follows.

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Wǒ yí lèi jiù xiǎng huí jiā.Whenever I'm tired, I want to go home
，。Háizi yì kū, māma jiù lái.Whenever the child cries, Mum comes
。Tā yì hē jiǔ jiù liǎn hóng.Whenever he drinks, his face goes red
。Tā yì yǒu shíjiān jiù kàn shū.Whenever he has time, he reads
Six panels following the same woman with long hair and a bow through her day: the alarm clock rings beside her bed while she is still asleep; she stretches as she gets up, the sun at the window; she has breakfast at a table with a bowl, toast and a cup; she talks on the phone; she shops, holding a full bag in front of the shelves; she comes home to her house in the evening.

她一起床就吃早饭 tā yì qǐchuáng jiù chī zǎofàn: as soon as she gets up, she has breakfast (every day).

So (le) is the switch between the two readings:

SignalReadingExample
(le) at the endone event, past
no (le)a habit
time word, no (le)one event, future

Not the same as 以后 (yǐhòu)

一 yī (the first action)就 jiù (what follows)What do the colours mean?

(yǐhòu) means "after", with any gap. It also sits in a different place: after the whole first clause, not before its verb.

HanziPinyinEnglish
。Tā dào Zhōngguó yǐhòu gěi wǒ dǎ le diànhuà.He rang me after he got to China
。Tā yí dào Zhōngguó jiù gěi wǒ dǎ diànhuà le.He rang me the moment he got there

The first could mean a week later. The second means the plane had barely landed. If the speed is the point, … (yī… jiù) is the one that says it.

Mistakes English speakers make

WrongRightWhy
。。the subject comes before (yī)
，。，。the second subject comes before (jiù)
。。keep (jiù)
。。 (le) goes at the very end
。。pick (yī)… (jiù) or (yǐhòu), not both

Most of these come from translating "as soon as" as one word at the front. Mandarin splits it in two, and each half sits right before its own verb.

… (yī… jiù) is on the AQA GCSE Chinese specification at Higher tier.

What to do next

  1. Do the drill below, saying each (yī) with its right tone.
  2. Say three things you do the moment you get home: … (wǒ yì huí jiā jiù…).
  3. Turn one into a past event by adding (le) at the end.

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/3

Tap the sentence with every part in the right place.

  1. As soon as I get home, I eat.

  2. The moment he comes, we leave.

  3. She laughed as soon as she heard it.

Put the words in order

0/2

Put the words in order.

  1. Whenever I'm tired, I want to go home.

    Your sentence is empty.

  2. I understood at a glance.

    Your sentence is empty.

Spot the mistake

0/3

Each sentence has one mistake. Tap it.

  1. tā yì huí jiā le jiù shuì 。

  2. tā yì lái ， jiù wǒ men zǒu 。

  3. yì wǒ huí jiā jiù chī fàn 。

Sort into groups

0/4

One event, or a habit?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Pick the right one

0/3

Fill the gap with 一 or 以后. 一 goes before the first verb; 以后 goes after the whole first clause.

  1. 他到家就睡了。

    tā ___ dào jiā jiù shuì le 。

  2. 你到中国，给我打电话。

    nǐ dào zhōng guó ___， gěi wǒ dǎ diàn huà 。

  3. 我听就明白了。

    wǒ ___ tīng jiù míng bai le 。

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Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'as soon as' in Chinese?
Use (yī)… (jiù). Put in front of the first action and in front of the second: (tā yí dào jiā jiù shuì le), he went to sleep as soon as he got home. Both words sit after their subjects, right before their verbs.
Where does the subject go in a … sentence?
Before (yī), never after it: (wǒ yì huí jiā), not . If the second action has a different subject, that subject goes before (jiù): ， (tā yì lái, wǒmen jiù zǒu), the moment he comes, we leave.
Can you leave out (jiù) in …?
Not in a short one-subject sentence: is broken; it has to be (wǒ yì huí jiā jiù chī fàn). After a comma and a new subject you will sometimes hear left out, but the full pair is always right.
What is the difference between … and (yǐhòu)?
(yǐhòu) just means 'after', with any gap: (tā dào Zhōngguó yǐhòu gěi wǒ dǎ le diànhuà) could mean a week later. … says there was no gap: , he rang the moment he landed. also goes after the first clause, while goes before its verb.
How do you pronounce (yī) in …?
It follows the normal tone change for . Before a fourth tone it is yí: (yí kàn), (yí dào). Before a first, second or third tone it is yì: (yì tīng), (yì huí jiā), (yì zǒu).