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随即 (suí jí) — immediately; soon afterwards; following which

Definition

随即 (suíjí) is a written/narrative 'immediately after, following which' — close to 立刻 but more formal, and like 随后 it connects two events in sequence. Use it in writing or storytelling, not casual speech.

adverb
immediatelysoon afterwardsfollowing which

Examples

  • 随即。
    Tā chī wán fàn suí jí lí kāi le.
    He left immediately after finishing his meal.
  • ，随即。
    Tīng dào zhè ge xiāo xi, tā suí jí kū le qǐ lái.
    Upon hearing this news, she started crying right away.
  • ，随即。
    Huì yì jié shù, dà jiā suí jí kāi shǐ gōng zuò.
    As soon as the meeting ended, everyone began working.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

随suífollowing
即jíimmediately

'随' gives following and '即' gives immediately, so it means right after.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 隨; 随 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辵辵chuòwalking
Sound part声符shēngfú
𡐦
𡐦𡐦隨suí
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 隨 pairs 辵 (walking) with 𡐦 (the sound part); the simplified 随 is a later shorthand.

Open 随 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 皀皀jíancient round-mouthed food vessel
  • 卩卩jiéto kneel

即 pairs 皀 (an ancient round-mouthed food vessel) with 卩 (to kneel), showing someone kneeling near the vessel to eat, so it means to come near or approach.

Open 即 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9HSK 2.0 Level 6Time (Abstract)

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