Tight Compound: 一…就… (As soon as … then …)
一…就… links two actions that happen in immediate succession: as soon as the first happens, the second follows right away. Structure: 一 + Verb Phrase A，就 + Verb Phrase B.
Both verb phrases usually share the same subject. 就 signals that the second action follows immediately, almost automatically.
- 我一到家就吃饭。(As soon as I get home, I eat.)
- 他一累就想睡觉。(As soon as he's tired, he wants to sleep.)
❌ 我一到家，我吃饭。(missing 就 — the clauses don't feel connected)
✅ 我一到家就吃饭。
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 我一起床就去洗手。 | Wǒ yī qǐ chuáng jiù qù xǐ shǒu. | As soon as I get up, I go wash my hands. | Minimal 一…就 frame with two simple daily actions. |
| 他一下课就给妈妈打电话。 | Tā yī xià kè jiù gěi māma dǎ diàn huà. | As soon as class ends, he calls his mom. | Adds 给…打电话 (call someone) as the second action. |
| 妹妹一看到狗就笑了。 | Mèi mei yī kàn dào gǒu jiù xiào le. | As soon as younger sister saw the dog, she laughed. | Adds 了 (completed aspect) marking the second action as having occurred. |
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
What this opens up
These patterns list Tight Compound among their own prerequisites, so they become readable once this one holds.
Tight Compound is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
Start at your true level