Conditional StatementsHSK 5
Expressing "once...then..." with 一旦...就...
Use 一旦...就... to express "once...then..." for an event that, once it occurs, will inevitably trigger a consequence. The condition introduced by 一旦 is often hypothetical or future-oriented. A common pitfall is over-applying it to past habits; instead, reserve it for conditional future scenarios.
Structure
一旦 + Condition，Subj. + 就 + Consequence
The subject may also precede 一旦: Subj. + 一旦 + Condition，就 + Consequence.
Examples
- 有些人一旦有了钱，就变了。Yǒuxiē rén yīdàn yǒu le qián, jiù biàn le.Some people change as soon as they have money.
- 一旦你的公司上市，你就可以变成有钱人。Yīdàn nǐ de gōngsī shàngshì, nǐ jiù kěyǐ biànchéng yǒuqiánrén.Once your company goes public, you'll be a rich man.
- 这张桌子不稳定，一旦发生什么小小的振动，就会倒塌。Zhè zhāng zhuōzi bù wěndìng, yīdàn fāshēng shénme xiǎoxiǎo de zhèndòng, jiù huì dǎotā.This table isn't very stable. If there's even a small vibration, it will fall over.
- 一旦做出决定，就没有借口，只有认真去做。Yīdàn zuòchū juédìng, jiù méiyǒu jièkǒu, zhǐyǒu rènzhēn qù zuò.Once a decision is made, there are no more excuses, and all you can do is take it seriously and do it.
- 人一旦在一个很舒服的环境中，就不想继续努力了。Rén yīdàn zài yī gè hěn shūfu de huánjìng zhōng, jiù bù xiǎng jìxù nǔlì le.Once you're in a comfortable environment, you don't want to keep trying.
Words that use this
- 一旦yī dànin case (sth happens); if; once (sth happens, then...); when; in a short time; in one day
- 就jiù(after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 是) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly; only; as little as; as much as; as many as; to approach; to move towards; to undertake; to engage in; (often followed by 着) taking advantage of; (of food) to go with; with regard to; concerning; (pattern: 就 ... 也 ...) even if ... still ...; (pattern: 不 ... 就 ...) if not ... then must be ...