Chinese for Simultaneous Events: Using 的时候 (de shíhou) and 一边...一边... (yìbiān... yìbiān...)
Learn to describe simultaneous events in Mandarin Chinese using 的时候 (de shíhou) and 一边...一边... (yìbiān... yìbiān...). Compare with sequencing to express 'while' and 'during' accurately at elementary level.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In English, you use 'while' and 'during' to show that two actions happen at the same time. Chinese does not have a single word for 'while'. Instead, it uses two main patterns: 的时候 (de shíhou) after a verb phrase to mean 'when/during the time that...', and 一边...一边... (yìbiān... yìbiān...) to mean 'do one thing while doing another'. These patterns express simultaneity, not sequence. For example, 'While I was cooking, the phone rang' becomes 我做饭的时候，电话响了 (Wǒ zuòfàn de shíhou, diànhuà xiǎng le). Notice that the main event (the phone ringing) comes after the 的时候 clause. This lesson will teach you to form these sentences correctly and avoid common mistakes like using 的时候 for two ongoing actions or confusing it with sequential markers like 然后 (ránhòu) 'then'.
By the end, you can…
- use 的时候 (de shíhou) to say that one event happened during another event.
- use 一边...一边... (yìbiān... yìbiān...) to say that someone does two actions at the same time.
- distinguish simultaneous events from sequential events in Chinese.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
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我做饭的时候，电话响了。
While I was cooking, the phone rang.
Wǒ zuòfàn de shíhou, diànhuà xiǎng le.
Use 的时候 after the background action (cooking). The main event (phone ringing) comes after the comma. This is the most common way to express 'while' for a background action.
他一边吃饭，一边看电视。
He eats while watching TV.
Tā yìbiān chīfàn, yìbiān kàn diànshì.
Use 一边...一边... when the same person does two actions simultaneously. Both actions are ongoing and equally important. The subject comes before the first 一边.
上课的时候，不要说话。
Don't talk during class.
Shàngkè de shíhou, búyào shuōhuà.
的时候 can also mean 'during' a period or event. Here it sets the time frame for a command or rule. Notice the negative command 不要 (búyào).
我一边听音乐，一边做作业。
I listen to music while doing homework.
Wǒ yìbiān tīng yīnyuè, yìbiān zuò zuòyè.
This pattern is very common for daily activities. Both actions are ongoing and done by the same person. You can also use it with three actions, but two is most common at elementary level.
下雨的时候，我在睡觉。
While it was raining, I was sleeping.
Xiàyǔ de shíhou, wǒ zài shuìjiào.
Here both actions are ongoing. 的时候 introduces the background (raining), and the main clause uses 在 (zài) to show an ongoing action. This is different from a single interrupting event.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern with 的时候 (de shíhou) is: [Background action] + 的时候, [Main event]. The background action is often a verb phrase, and 的时候 turns it into 'when/during the time of...'. For example, 我看书的时候，他来了 (Wǒ kànshū de shíhou, tā lái le) 'While I was reading, he came.' The main event can be a new action that interrupts or happens during the background. For two simultaneous ongoing actions by the same person, use 一边...一边... (yìbiān... yìbiān...): 她一边唱歌，一边跳舞 (Tā yìbiān chànggē, yìbiān tiàowǔ) 'She sings while dancing.' Both patterns express simultaneity, but 的时候 is more flexible for different subjects, while 一边...一边... requires the same subject for both actions.
When to use it
Use 的时候 when you want to say that one event happened during another event, especially when the two events have different subjects or when one event interrupts another. For example, 我洗澡的时候，有人敲门 (Wǒ xǐzǎo de shíhou, yǒu rén qiāomén) 'While I was taking a shower, someone knocked on the door.' Use 一边...一边... when the same person intentionally does two actions at the same time, like 他一边走路，一边打电话 (Tā yìbiān zǒulù, yìbiān dǎ diànhuà) 'He walks while talking on the phone.' Do not use 一边...一边... for accidental or non-voluntary simultaneous events. Also, do not use 的时候 for two equally ongoing actions by the same person; that sounds unnatural. For sequencing (one after another), use 然后 (ránhòu) 'then' or 以后 (yǐhòu) 'after', not these patterns.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
你昨天打电话的时候，我在做饭。
When you called yesterday, I was cooking.Nǐ zuótiān dǎ diànhuà de shíhou, wǒ zài zuòfàn.哦，对不起。你一边做饭，一边接电话，方便吗？
Oh, sorry. Is it convenient for you to cook while answering the phone?O, duìbuqǐ. Nǐ yìbiān zuòfàn, yìbiān jiē diànhuà, fāngbiàn ma?不太方便。我做饭的时候，一般不接电话。
Not very convenient. When I cook, I generally don't answer the phone.Bú tài fāngbiàn. Wǒ zuòfàn de shíhou, yìbān bù jiē diànhuà.好的，我以后在你做饭的时候不发短信。
Okay, from now on I won't send text messages while you're cooking.Hǎo de, wǒ yǐhòu zài nǐ zuòfàn de shíhou bù fā duǎnxìn.A little context goes a long way
In Chinese, 的时候 (de shíhou) is extremely common in everyday conversation and is neutral in politeness. When making requests or stating rules, it is common to use 的时候 to set a time frame, as in 开会的时候，请关手机 (Kāihuì de shíhou, qǐng guān shǒujī) 'Please turn off your phone during the meeting.' The pattern 一边...一边... is also neutral but implies the actions are done by choice. In formal writing, you might see 同时 (tóngshí) 'at the same time', but for elementary spoken Chinese, 的时候 and 一边...一边... are more natural. Avoid using 的时候 with a single noun; it must follow a verb phrase or a time word like 小的时候 (xiǎo de shíhou) 'when I was young'.
One thing to watch for
Using 一边...一边... for two actions that are not done by the same person, or using 的时候 for two simultaneous ongoing actions by the same person, such as saying *我一边做饭，电话响了 (Wǒ yìbiān zuòfàn, diànhuà xiǎng le) to mean 'While I was cooking, the phone rang.'
Try this instead: For different subjects or an interrupting event, use 的时候: 我做饭的时候，电话响了 (Wǒ zuòfàn de shíhou, diànhuà xiǎng le). For the same person doing two actions at once, use 一边...一边...: 我一边做饭，一边听音乐 (Wǒ yìbiān zuòfàn, yìbiān tīng yīnyuè) 'I cook while listening to music.'
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1Translate: 'While my mother was reading the newspaper, I was doing my homework.'
Show a sample answer
妈妈看报纸的时候，我在做作业。 (Māma kàn bàozhǐ de shíhou, wǒ zài zuò zuòyè.)
This uses 的时候 because the two actions have different subjects (mother and I). The 的时候 clause sets the background action (mother reading the newspaper), and the main clause describes what I was doing at that time. Note the 在 (zài) before 做作业 to mark the ongoing action. You could also reverse the clauses: 我做作业的时候，妈妈在看报纸 (Wǒ zuò zuòyè de shíhou, māma zài kàn bàozhǐ).
2Which pattern fits better: 'He sings while playing the guitar'? Why?
Show a sample answer
他一边弹吉他，一边唱歌。 (Tā yìbiān tán jítā, yìbiān chànggē.)
Use 一边...一边... because the same person (he) is doing both actions simultaneously and voluntarily. 的时候 would be unnatural here because neither action is a background event for the other. You could also swap the order: 他一边唱歌，一边弹吉他.
3Correct this sentence: *我一边吃饭，电话响了。 (Wǒ yìbiān chīfàn, diànhuà xiǎng le.)
Show a sample answer
我吃饭的时候，电话响了。 (Wǒ chīfàn de shíhou, diànhuà xiǎng le.)
The original uses 一边...一边... but the phone ringing is not an action done by the same person. Use 的时候 to show that the phone rang during the meal. Another valid correction is 我吃饭的时候，电话响了 with 正在 (zhèngzài) for emphasis: 我正在吃饭的时候，电话响了.
Use 的时候 (de shíhou) after a verb phrase for 'while/during' when two events have different subjects or one interrupts another. Use 一边...一边... (yìbiān... yìbiān...) for the same person doing two actions at once. Never mix them up for sequencing; use 然后 (ránhòu) for 'then'.
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