Lessons 14, 16, 17, 18, 22: Adverbs of pace of development: 马上, 顿时, 立刻, 一下子, 渐渐, 逐渐

Explanation

Structure

1. 1
   马上+就optional+V / 马上就要……了

   “马上” (= 很快地) indicates that something is about to happen or happens right after some other event; it is usually followed by the adverb “就”; a time expression cannot go before “马上”.

   • 请等一下，我马上就回来。

     Qǐng děng yíxià, wǒ mǎshàng jiù huílái.

     Please wait a moment; I'll be right back.

   • 飞机马上就要起飞了，请大家系好安全带。

     Fēijī mǎshàng jiù yào qǐfēi le, qǐng dàjiā jìhǎo ānquándài.

     The plane is about to take off; please fasten your seat belts, everyone.

   • 我弟弟今年是大学四年级学生，马上就要毕业了。

     Wǒ dìdi jīnnián shì dàxué sì niánjí xuésheng, mǎshàng jiù yào bìyè le.

     My younger brother is in his fourth year of university this year and is about to graduate.

   • 张太太家的门铃坏了，给物业公司打电话，负责人说马上派工人去修。

     Zhāng tàitai jiā de ménlíng huài le, gěi wùyè gōngsī dǎ diànhuà, fùzérén shuō mǎshàng pài gōngrén qù xiū.

     Mrs. Zhang's doorbell was broken. She phoned the building management company, and the person in charge said they would send a repairman right away.

2. 2
   顿时+V (chỉ kể việc đã xảy ra)

   “顿时” (= 立刻) is used only to recount events that happened in the past; it serves as an adverbial, does not take “地”; and is used only in declarative sentences.

   • 他的讲座一结束，大厅里顿时响起了热烈的掌声。

     Tā de jiǎngzuò yì jiéshù, dàtīng lǐ dùnshí xiǎngqǐle rèliè de zhǎngshēng.

     As soon as his talk ended, warm applause instantly rose in the hall.

   • 看到自己的球队踢进了一个球，球迷们顿时欢呼起来。

     Kàndào zìjǐ de qiúduì tījìnle yí gè qiú, qiúmímen dùnshí huānhū qǐlai.

     Seeing their team score, the fans instantly cheered.

   • 我这么一说，他顿时觉得不好意思起来。

     Wǒ zhème yì shuō, tā dùnshí juéde bù hǎoyìsi qǐlai.

     When I said that, he instantly felt embarrassed.

3. 3
   立刻+V (kể cả câu cầu khiến)

   “立刻” is not limited to things that happened in the past; it is used in declarative sentences and can also be used in imperative sentences.

   • 现在请同学们立刻到楼下集合。

     Xiànzài qǐng tóngxuémen lìkè dào lóuxià jíhé.

     Now, please all come downstairs to assemble at once.

   • 我们明天一起床，就立刻出发。

     Wǒmen míngtiān yì qǐchuáng, jiù lìkè chūfā.

     Tomorrow morning, as soon as we get up, we set off right away.

   • 好消息传来，人们顿时/立刻欢呼起来。

     Hǎo xiāoxi chuánlái, rénmen dùnshí/lìkè huānhū qǐlai.

     When the good news arrived, everyone immediately cheered.

4. 4
   一下子+V / Adj

   An action happens or is completed very quickly, or a phenomenon appears very abruptly; serves as an adverbial for verbs and adjectives.

   • 老师一讲，我一下子明白了。

     Lǎoshī yì jiǎng, wǒ yíxiàzi míngbai le.

     As soon as the teacher explained it, I understood.

   • 以前他学习不太好，这次一下子考了个全班第一。

     Yǐqián tā xuéxí bú tài hǎo, zhè cì yíxiàzi kǎole ge quán bān dì-yī.

     He used to be not very good at his studies, but this time he suddenly came first in the class.

   • 过了五一，天气一下子热起来了。

     Guòle Wǔ-Yī, tiānqì yíxiàzi rè qǐlai le.

     After May 1st, the weather suddenly turned hot.

   • 同学们见来了新老师都停下正在做的事，一下子把目光集中到我身上。

     Tóngxuémen jiàn láile xīn lǎoshī dōu tíngxià zhèngzài zuò de shì, yíxiàzi bǎ mùguāng jízhōng dào wǒ shēnshang.

     Seeing that a new teacher had arrived, all the students stopped what they were doing and, in an instant, turned their eyes on me.

5. 5
   渐渐/逐渐 (地)+V / Adj+了 / 起来 / 下去optional

   The degree or quantity increases or decreases slowly over time (渐渐 is used in writing). 渐渐（地）+ V: the verb cannot be followed by “着” or “过”. 渐渐（地）+ adjective: the adjective is usually followed by “了”, “起来”, “下去”... 逐渐 goes before a verb or adjective as an adverbial.

   • 一个月后，我对这儿的生活渐渐习惯了。

     Yí gè yuè hòu, wǒ duì zhèr de shēnghuó jiànjiàn xíguàn le.

     A month later, I gradually got used to life here.

   • 这里的天气渐渐暖和起来了。

     Zhèlǐ de tiānqì jiànjiàn nuǎnhuo qǐlai le.

     The weather here is gradually getting warmer.

   • 我逐渐喜欢上了这个工作。

     Wǒ zhújiàn xǐhuan shàngle zhège gōngzuò.

     I gradually came to like this job.

   • 我对学习汉语逐渐有了信心。

     Wǒ duì xuéxí Hànyǔ zhújiàn yǒule xìnxīn.

     I gradually gained confidence in studying Chinese.

   • 渐渐地，我们都忘了这件事。

     Jiànjiàn de, wǒmen dōu wàngle zhè jiàn shì.

     Gradually, we all forgot about this matter.

   • 妈妈的身体渐渐好了。

     Māma de shēntǐ jiànjiàn hǎo le.

     Mom's health is gradually getting better.

   • 我逐渐领悟到，人的一生，可能会遇到各种不幸的事。

     Wǒ zhújiàn lǐngwù dào, rén de yìshēng, kěnéng huì yùdào gè zhǒng búxìng de shì.

     I gradually came to understand that all kinds of misfortunes can happen in a person's life.

   • 同学们在一起学习快一年时间了，彼此逐渐了解了。

     Tóngxuémen zài yìqǐ xuéxí kuài yì nián shíjiān le, bǐcǐ zhújiàn liǎojiě le.

     The classmates have studied together for almost a year and are gradually getting to know each other better.

   • 他逐渐习惯了这儿的气候。

     Tā zhújiàn xíguànle zhèr de qìhòu.

     He gradually got used to the climate here.