随即

• Pinyin: suí jí
• Hanzi breakdown: 随 = to follow, go along; 即 = to approach, at once — immediately upon following

Meaning

Immediately after; thereupon; promptly following. Indicates that one action occurs right after another.

A formal adverb used in written Chinese to indicate that something happened immediately or very shortly after a preceding event. More literary and formal than 马上 or 立刻. Commonly appears in news reports, official documents, and narrative prose. Emphasises temporal immediacy and sequential connection.

Examples

1. 会议刚一结束，负责人随即召集各部门主管就会议决议进行具体分工，确保各项任务能够在最短的时间内落实到位。 As soon as the meeting ended, the person in charge immediately convened department heads to assign specific responsibilities for the decisions made, ensuring every task would be implemented as quickly as possible.
2. 消防员接到报警电话后随即出动，以最快速度赶赴火灾现场，将人员伤亡和财产损失降到了最低限度。 After receiving the emergency call, the firefighters set out at once and rushed to the scene as fast as they could, minimizing casualties and property loss.
3. 协议签署完毕后，双方企业随即启动联合工作组，就后续合作的具体细节展开深入磋商，以推动项目尽快进入实质性推进阶段。 Once the agreement was signed, the two companies immediately launched a joint working group and began in-depth talks on the specific details of follow-up cooperation to push the project into substantive progress as soon as possible.

Usage Guide

Context: news writing, official documents, narrative prose, reporting

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 突发事件发生后，相关部门随即启动应急预案，对现场实施紧急管控并迅速疏散周边居民，将潜在风险降至最低。(After the sudden incident occurred, the relevant departments immediately activated emergency protocols, imposing urgent controls on the scene and rapidly evacuating nearby residents to minimise potential risks.)
• 新任局长上任后随即推行了一系列改革举措，以实际行动回应了外界对该部门长期积累的诸多问题的高度关切。(Shortly after the new director took office, a series of reform measures were immediately introduced, responding with concrete action to the widespread concerns about the many long-standing problems within the department.)

Don't Say

• 随即 是书面语，在口语中应改用 立刻、马上 或 随后；随即 只能修饰紧接发生的行为，不可用于描述较长时间间隔之后的事件 — 不说'三天后，他随即做出了决定'

Origin & History

随 (to follow) + 即 (at once, right away) — immediately following in time

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal