▎說 A 就 A, (shuō A jiù A), happening instantly without prior warning

 

Function This pattern means that something unexpected happens, without prior warning, or happens faster than expected (from the speaker’s perspective). The pattern is roughly equivalent to ‘just like that’ and ‘and before you know it’ in English.

1 你不喜歡你的班嗎？怎麼說換班就換班？

Nǐ bù xǐhuān nǐ de bān ma? Zěnme shuō huàn bān jiù huàn bān?

You didn’t like your class? Why did you change classes just like that?

2 台北的天氣真奇怪，說下雨就下雨。

Táiběi de tiānqì zhēn qíguài, shuō xiàyǔ jiù xiàyǔ.

The weather in Taipei is really strange. The rains can come at any moment.

3 小明怎麼了？怎麼說走就走？

Xiǎomíng zěnme le? Zěnme shuō zǒu jiù zǒu?

What’s up with Xiaoming? Why did he just up and leave?

4 美美上個月剛來台灣，怎麼說回國就回國？

Měiměi shàng ge yuè gāng lái Táiwān, zěnme shuō huíguó jiù huíguó?

Meimei came to Taiwan just last month. How come she’s going back home already?

5 李老師很嚴，常常說考試就考試，學生都覺得壓力很大。

Li lǎoshī hěn yán, chángcháng shuō kǎoshì jiù kǎoshì, xuéshēng dōu juéde yālì hěn dà.

Our teacher, Mr. Li, is very strict. He often gives tests without prior warning. The students are under a lot of stress.