When you want to say something will happen right away, Chinese offers a small family of pre-verb adverbs, and the choice between them is mostly a matter of register and exact timing. 马上 (mǎshàng, literally "on horseback") is the everyday "right away." 立刻 (lìkè) and 立即 (lìjí) mean "at once / immediately" with a crisper, more formal ring. 一会儿 (yíhuìr) is the softer "in a little while" — a short delay, not an instant. All of them share one grammatical fact: they belong in the pre-verb adverb slot, before the verb they modify, and English speakers who park "immediately" at the end of the sentence will sound wrong every time.
马上 / 立刻 / 立即 — right away, at once
These three all mean "very soon, without delay," and they line up along a register scale. 马上 is what you say to a friend; 立刻 is crisper and works in both speech and writing; 立即 is the most formal, at home in notices and official instructions.
| Adverb | Meaning | Register | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 马上 (mǎshàng) | right away | everyday | speech, texts, casual |
| 立刻 (lìkè) | at once | neutral / crisp | speech + writing, urgency |
| 立即 (lìjí) | immediately | formal / written | notices, rules, reports |
| 一会儿 (yíhuìr) | in a little while | everyday | a short delay, not instant |
你等我一下，我马上来。
nǐ děng wǒ yíxià, wǒ mǎshàng lái
Wait a sec — I'm coming right away. (informal)
收到消息后请立刻通知我。
shōu dào xiāoxi hòu qǐng lìkè tōngzhī wǒ
Please notify me at once when you get the news. (neutral, urgent)
系统检测到故障，将立即重启。
xìtǒng jiǎncè dào gùzhàng, jiāng lìjí chóngqǐ
The system detected a fault and will restart immediately. (formal — a written notice; 立即)
老板一进来，他立刻站了起来。
lǎobǎn yí jìnlái, tā lìkè zhàn le qǐlái
The moment the boss walked in, he stood up at once. (neutral)
马上 loves 就
马上 very often teams up with 就 (jiù), which tightens the sense of "very soon indeed" — 马上就来 "coming right this second," 马上就到 "almost here." The 就 sits between the adverb and the verb.
马上就到了，你在门口等我吧。
mǎshàng jiù dào le, nǐ zài ménkǒu děng wǒ ba
Almost there — wait for me at the door. (informal)
外卖马上就到，你再等两分钟。
wàimài mǎshàng jiù dào, nǐ zài děng liǎng fēnzhōng
The delivery's arriving any second — wait two more minutes. (informal)
一会儿 — a short wait, not an instant
Beware a trap: 一会儿 does not mean "immediately." It means "in a little while," "after a short bit" — there is a small delay built in. It also doubles as a noun-like span, "a short while." Contrast it with 马上, which is instant.
别急，我一会儿就下来。
bié jí, wǒ yíhuìr jiù xiàlái
Don't rush — I'll be down in a moment. (informal)
你先吃，我一会儿再吃。
nǐ xiān chī, wǒ yíhuìr zài chī
You eat first — I'll eat in a bit. (informal; note the future 再)
就要…了 — "about to"
For the closely related "about to happen," Chinese wraps the verb in 就要…了 (jiù yào … le) or 快要…了 — the imminent future. Unlike 马上 (an adverb of how soon the action starts), this is a whole frame marking impending change, and it requires the closing 了. See the imminent 要…了 for the full picture.
快点，火车马上就要开了。
kuài diǎn, huǒchē mǎshàng jiù yào kāi le
Hurry — the train's about to leave. (informal)
会议就要开始了，请大家安静。
huìyì jiù yào kāishǐ le, qǐng dàjiā ānjìng
The meeting is about to start — everyone please quiet down. (neutral)
Common Mistakes
1. Parking the adverb at the end. English "come immediately" tempts a sentence-final placement, but these adverbs must precede the verb.
❌ 请打电话立刻。
Incorrect — the adverb goes before the verb: 请立刻打电话.
✅ 请立刻打电话。
qǐng lìkè dǎ diànhuà
Please make the call at once. — 立刻 before the verb.
2. Using 一会儿 to mean "right now." 一会儿 has a built-in delay; for "right away" you need 马上.
❌ 你等着，我一会儿来。
Mismatched — 一会儿 means 'in a little while', not 'right away'; for instant arrival use 马上: 我马上来.
✅ 你等着，我马上来。
nǐ děng zhe, wǒ mǎshàng lái
Hang on — I'm coming right away. — 马上 for the instant.
3. Dropping the 了 in 就要…了. The imminent frame is incomplete without its closing 了.
❌ 火车就要开。
Incomplete — the imminent frame needs 了: 火车就要开了.
✅ 火车就要开了。
huǒchē jiù yào kāi le
The train is about to leave. — 就要…了 with the closing 了.
4. Using formal 立即 in casual chat. It's correct but stiff — like saying "forthwith" to a friend.
❌ 妈，我立即回家。
Stiff — 立即 belongs in notices/reports; to family say 马上: 妈，我马上回家.
✅ 妈，我马上回家。
mā, wǒ mǎshàng huí jiā
Mom, I'm heading home right away. — 马上 for everyday speech.
Key Takeaways
- The "immediately" family are pre-verb adverbs — never place them at the end of the sentence.
- 马上 = everyday "right away"; 立刻 / 立即 = crisper "at once," with 立即 the most formal/written.
- 马上 often pairs with 就 for extra immediacy: 马上就来, 马上就到.
- 一会儿 means "in a little while" — a short delay, not an instant; don't swap it for 马上.
- For "about to happen," use the 就要…了 / 快要…了 frame — and don't forget its closing 了.
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- 就 (Then / Only / As Early As)HSK 2 — 就 (jiù) is a high-frequency pre-verbal adverb whose senses — 'right away', 'as early/easily as', 'then', and restrictive 'just / only' — all share one attitude: sooner, easier, that's-all-it-takes.
- About To: 要…了 / 快…了 / 就要…了 / 快要…了HSK 2 — To say something is on the verge of happening, bracket the clause with 要／快／就要／快要 … 了 — 火车要开了 'the train's about to leave' — with an obligatory sentence-final 了 that marks the imminent change.
- 总是 (Always) / 一直 (Continuously)HSK 3 — 总是 (zǒngshì) marks habitual invariance — something that happens every single time (他总是迟到) — while 一直 (yìzhí) marks unbroken continuation across a stretch of time (我一直在等你, 'I've been waiting the whole time'); the difference is habitual-recurring vs continuous-uninterrupted.
- Adverbs Go Before the VerbHSK 1 — The cardinal rule of Chinese adverbs: they sit after the subject and before the verb or adjective — 我也去, 他很忙, 我经常运动 — and can never trail at the end of the clause the way English adverbs do.