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.

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

饿死了，我一下课就要去吃午饭。È sǐ le, wǒ yī xiàkè jiù yào qù chī wǔfàn.I'm starved. I will go to lunch as soon as the class is over.
你能不能一下班就去接孩子？Nǐ néng bu néng yī xiàbān jiù qù jiē háizi?Can you go to pick up the kid as soon as you get off work?
妈妈一到家就去做饭了。Māma yī dào jiā jiù qù zuòfàn le.As soon as mother arrived home, she went to cook dinner.
老师一来大家就不说话了。Lǎoshī yī lái dàjiā jiù bù shuōhuà le.As soon as the teacher came , everyone stopped talking.
我一进门，小狗就跑了过来。Wǒ yī jìn mén, xiǎogǒu jiù pǎo le guòlái.As soon as I walked into the door, the puppy ran over to me.

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.

Examples

我一想到这件事就不高兴。Wǒ yī xiǎngdào zhè jiàn shì jiù bù gāoxìng.Every time I think about this, I get upset.
老师一生气就脸红。Lǎoshī yī shēngqì jiù liǎn hóng.Every time the teacher gets angry, his face turns red.
她一吃火锅就拉肚子。Tā yī chī huǒguō jiù lādùzi.Every time she eats hotpot, she has diarrhea.
他一上英语课就想睡觉。Tā yī shàng Yīngyǔ kè jiù xiǎng shuìjiào.Every time he takes English class, he feels like falling asleep.
一不让弟弟玩 iPad ，他就哭。Yī bù ràng dìdi wán iPad, tā jiù kū.Every time we ask my younger brother to stop playing with iPad, he cries.

Used as "as soon as"

Structure

Examples

Used as "Every Time"

Structure

Examples

Sources and further reading

Books