Chinese Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE 一下
Have you wanted to say that you’re doing something briefly or for a short period of time?
Statements like “Let me briefly introduce myself”, and “Take a look at this briefly” can be made using 一下 (yíxià).
一下 TO MEAN “BRIEFLY”
When you want to say that an action is happening for a short period or in the action occurs for a little bit, 一下 is the easiest form to use.
The plus side to using 一下 is that it often softens the tone and adds a natural feel to your speech.
一下 is placed after the verb and before the object. You will find that in some cases the object is omitted.
一下 will give you the sense that the action won’t or must not take long.
The use of 一下 here is similar to the way the reduplication of verbs works.
PATTERN
(Subject +) Verb + 一下 (+Object)
一下 TO MEAN “IN A SHORT WHILE”
一下 can be used to talk about how quickly something happens.
The action usually happens in a very short period. You can also use 一下子 (yíxiàzi) here.
You can understand it as “suddenly”, “(all) at once”, “right away”, “quickly” etc. In case something happens naturally and quickly, 就 (jiù) is added after 一下/一下子.
一下 can be used as a conjunction (一下…一下…)to mean that one moment something happens, and the next moment something else happens.
PATTERN
Subject + 一下/一下子 (+就) + Predicate + 了
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FAQs
What is 一下?
一下 (yíxià) is a common adverb in Chinese.
It is placed after verbs to say that an action is done or occurs briefly. It also softens your speech so a sentence sounds like a request, not a command.
How to use 一下?
The most common sentence structure for 一下:(Subject +) Verb + 一下 (+Object)
等一下。děng yīxià. Wait a moment.
Another use of 一下:
Subject + 一下 (+就) + Predicate + 了
他们一下子结婚了。tāmen yīxià jiéhūnle. They suddenly got married.
How is 一下 pronounced?
一下 is pronounced yíxià。
How can I learn Chinese effectively?
To learn Chinese effectively you can start by learning about the characters and the pinyin, then master the tones as early as possible and learn some basic vocabulary and structures to start putting sentences together.
Most importantly, find good resources to rely on, if you can get yourself a private teacher or some Chinese classes, and finally never give up on your studies.
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There are more Chinese grammar lessons like this one in our Chinese Grammar Bank.
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