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〜か〜ないかのうちに

almost before, the very moment

Verb dictionary form + か + same verb ない-form + かのうちに

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か〜ないかのうちに says the second thing happened so quickly that the first had barely finished, or barely begun: ベルが鳴るか鳴らないかのうちに、学生たちは教室を出た, "the bell had barely started ringing when the students left".

Say the verb twice, first in the dictionary form and then in the ない-form: 座るか座らないか, 明けるか明けないか. The literal sense is "while it's unclear whether it happened or not".

The second half is a past event, usually something someone did quickly or eagerly. It's a vivid, descriptive pattern, common in stories.

The meaning overlaps with たとたん and と同時に, but it stresses how incredibly fast it was.

Examples

  • ベルが鳴なるか鳴ならないかのうちに、学生がくせいたちは教室きょうしつを出でた。

    The bell had barely started ringing when the students left the classroom.

  • 横よこになるかならないかのうちに、眠ねむってしまった。

    I fell asleep almost the moment I lay down.

  • 席せきに座すわるか座すわらないかのうちに、電車でんしゃが動うごき出だした。

    The train started moving before I'd even sat down.

  • 夜よるが明あけるか明あけないかのうちに、出発しゅっぱつした。

    We set off just as dawn was breaking.

  • 彼かれは話はなしを聞きき終おわるか終おわらないかのうちに、部屋へやを飛とび出だした。

    He dashed out of the room before he'd even finished hearing the story.

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