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.
Examples
- 他 一下子 吃 了 三 碗 米饭。Tā yīxiàzi chī le sān wǎn mǐfàn.He ate three bowls of rice all at once.
- 天气 一下子 变 冷 了。Tiānqì yīxiàzi 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.
- 这 些 问题 不 可能 一下 都 解决。Zhè xiē wèntí bù kěnéng yīxià dōu jiějué.These problems can't be solved all at once.
- 她 在 美国 的 第 一 个 月一下 瘦 了 十 斤。 One "jin" = 500gTā zài Měiguó de dì yī gè yuè yīxià shòu le shí jīn.She lost ten jin the first month she was in the USA.
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
Category:B1 grammar points