HSK 2
紧缩复句：一⋯⋯就⋯⋯
jǐn suō fù jù ： yī ⋯ ⋯ jiù ⋯ ⋯
Contracted compound sentence: 一⋯⋯就⋯⋯
Explanation
一⋯⋯就⋯⋯ (yī...jiù...) is a contracted compound sentence (紧缩复句 jǐnsuō fùjù — two clauses of meaning compressed into one short sentence with no pause), expressing that the second action happens immediately after the first action/condition, meaning "as soon as... then...," "whenever... then...."
Subject + 一 yī + verb 1 + 就 jiù + verb 2. 一 goes before the first event, 就 goes before the second event (the result happening right away).
When two events are closely tied in time (as soon as one finishes the other comes right away: 一起床就洗脸) or a whenever-then relationship of a regular pattern (一喝酒就脸红 = whenever I drink alcohol my face turns red).
The two clauses usually share one subject and the subject in the second clause may be omitted. 就 (jiù) goes right before the second verb, not at the end of the sentence.
Vietnamese learners often forget 就, using only 一 (他一起床去洗脸) — without 就 you lose the "right away" meaning. You must use the full pair 一...就.... Don't add 了 in the middle of this pair.
Examples
As soon as he gets up, he goes to wash his face.
Whenever I drink alcohol, my face turns red right away.
Practice
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Learn “紧缩复句：一⋯⋯就⋯⋯” effectively
The grammar point “紧缩复句：一⋯⋯就⋯⋯” (Contracted compound sentence: 一⋯⋯就⋯⋯) is one of the key structures at HSK 2. To use it fluently, you need to understand the contexts where it's used and practice regularly.
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