Meaning of 立即
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- immediately
How to use 立即
立即 is an adverb placed before the verb, and it sounds a bit more formal than 立刻 (lìkè). You often see it in announcements, news, and instructions. Example: 请立即离开大楼。(Qǐng lìjí líkāi dàlóu.) Please leave the building immediately.
立 (lì) means to stand, and 即 (jí) means at once or right then. Picture someone who stands up the moment they are called: 立即 is acting right away.
Common mistake: Learners often write 即 (jí) as 既 (jì, already) because the two look alike. 即 has no extra hook part on the right side, and it is second tone. Also, 立即 must come before the verb, so say 立即回答 (lìjí huídá), not 回答立即.
立即 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
立 lì · to stand · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
即 jí · namely · 7 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
Related words
Words that share a character with 立即.
| 立刻 | lìkè | immediately; at once; right away |
| 建立 | jiànlì | to establish; to set up |
| 成立 | chénglì | to establish; to set up |
| 设立 | shèlì | to set up; to establish |
| 即将 | jíjiāng | about to; on the point of; soon |
| 独立 | dúlì | independent; independence |
| 即使 | jíshǐ | even if; even though |
| 立场 | lìchǎng | position; standpoint |
| 创立 | chuànglì | to establish; to set up; to found |
| 对立 | duìlì | to oppose; to set sth against |
| 确立 | quèlì | to establish; to institute |
| 即便 | jíbiàn | even if; even though |
Questions about 立即
What does 立即 mean?
立即 (lìjí) means "immediately" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 立即?
立即 is made of 2 characters: 立 (5 strokes), 即 (7 strokes). That is 12 strokes in total.
Is 立即 an HSK word?
Yes. 立即 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 立即 and 立刻?
They mean almost the same thing and can usually replace each other. 立即 feels more formal and written, while 立刻 is more common in everyday speech.
Can 立即 be used alone as an answer, like 'right away'?
Not usually. 立即 needs a verb after it. To answer alone in conversation, people say 马上 (mǎshàng) or 马上就去 (mǎshàng jiù qù).