shuō
To speak, to say, to tell
说 (shuō) + Verb (A) + 就 (jiù) + Verb (A)
Pattern diagram
Rule structure
The pattern 说 (shuō)A就 (jiù)A (shuō A jiù A) means “no sooner said than done”: a decision is made instantly and carried out right away. A is usually a verb, often a single-syllable one: 说走就走 (shuō zǒu jiù zǒu), 说买就买 (shuō mǎi jiù mǎi). It is colloquial and conveys decisiveness or ease.
Rule structure
The pattern 说 (shuō)A就 (jiù)A (shuō A jiù A) means “no sooner said than done”: a decision is made instantly and carried out right away. A is usually a verb, often a single-syllable one: 说走就走 (shuō zǒu jiù zǒu), 说买就买 (shuō mǎi jiù mǎi). It is colloquial and conveys decisiveness or ease.
Examples
他说走就走,一点儿也不犹豫。
Tā shuō zǒu jiù zǒu, yìdiǎnr yě bù yóuyù.
He said he’d go and went right away, without hesitating at all.
Examples
他说走就走,一点儿也不犹豫。
Tā shuō zǒu jiù zǒu, yìdiǎnr yě bù yóuyù.
He said he’d go and went right away, without hesitating at all.
Two short exercises: see how the rule works in a dialogue and in a sentence. No sign-up needed.
Use the structure: 说 (shuō) + Verb (A) + 就 (jiù) + Verb (A). For example: 他说走就走,一点儿也不犹豫。 — “He said he’d go and went right away, without hesitating at all”.
他说走就走,一点儿也不犹豫。 — “He said he’d go and went right away, without hesitating at all”.
This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.0 Level 5.
Tomyo
Grammar explanations, exercises and spaced repetition — all in one app.
不得了 — oh no, an extreme situation
不得了 (bùdéliǎo)! (+ Situation)
着 — while doing, something happened
Verb (A) + 着 (zhe) + Verb (A) + 着 (zhe), ...
没 — paired absence with 没A没B
没 (méi) + A + 没 (méi) + B
用不着 — no need to
Subject + 用不着 (yòngbuzháo) + Verb/Noun
的 — different people doing different things
A + 的 (de) + A,B + 的 (de) + B
不 — might as well, no reason not to
不 (bù) + Verb + 白 (bái) + 不 (bù) + Verb
是它 — whether it's good or bad
X + 是 (shì) + 它 (tā),Y + 也 (yě) + 是 (shì) + 它 (tā)
着 — since we are doing it anyway
X + 着 (zhe) + 也是 (yě shì) + X + 着 (zhe)
Got the rule? Test yourself
Two exercises, under a minute.