Then / immediately after (继而 / 随即)

Structure Action A，继而 / 随即 + action B (immediate)

继而 (jì'ér) and 随即 (suíjí) chain two events in immediate succession within elevated narration: "then", "right after", "immediately". 继而 stresses that B follows A as its natural continuation (他先是一惊，继而大笑 = "he first started, then burst out laughing"); it is the written counterpart of 接着/然后. 随即 emphasizes speed, with almost no gap between A and B (点头，随即离去 = "he nodded and at once left"). Both belong to narrative prose and journalistic register; in speech 接着, 然后, 马上 are preferred.

Examples

他tā先xiān是shì一yī惊jīng，继jì而ér大dà笑xiào起qǐ来lái。
He was startled at first, and then burst out laughing.
她tā点diǎn了le点diǎn头tóu，随suí即jí转zhuǎn身shēn离lí去qù。
She nodded, then immediately turned around and left.
现xiàn场chǎng先xiān是shì一yī片piàn寂jì静jìng，继jì而ér响xiǎng起qǐ热rè烈liè的de掌zhǎng声shēng。
The hall first fell silent, and then warm applause broke out.
消xiāo息xī一yī经jīng公gōng布bù，股gǔ价jià随suí即jí大dà幅fú下xià跌diē。
As soon as the news was released, the share price plunged immediately.

Levels are indicative: they follow the standard Chinese Grammar Wiki (AllSet Learning) progression, not an official HSK 3.0 mapping. We never assign levels by eye.

This point and the other 370, with audio on every example, inside Wanyu.