Lots of students may find it difficult to distinguish those two Chinese words: 才(cái) and 就(jiù) when learning Mandarin Chinese. In today's lesson, let's learn the difference between the Chinese characters 才(cái) and 就(jiù) and how to use them correctly.
Before we get started, take a look at the sentences below and see if you can have an idea about the use of these two words.
A: 你快点儿，周杰伦的演唱会7点就开始了。
Hurry up, Jay Chou concert starts at 7 o’clock.
B: 不急，现在才五点，还早呢！
No hurry. It’s only 5 o’clock. It’s still early.
(Half an hour later)
A: 五点半了，我们要迟到了。
It’s half past five, we’re going to be late.
B: 演唱会七点才开始，我们还有时间。
The concert doesn’t start until 7 o’clock, so we still have time.
You may still be confused or even more confused about “才” and “就” after reading these two conversations. Don’t worry, we’ll explain them to you one by one below.
1. When 才 and 就 are placed after time words
才 indicates that something in discussion takes place later than the speaker expected, or it lasts longer than he expected. The pattern is “ Subj. + Time Word + 才+ V + (O)”.
就 indicates that the speaker feels something discussed happens earlier than expected, or it lasts shorter than he expected. There is usually “了” at the end of a sentence. The pattern is “Subj. + Time Words + 就 + V + (O) +了”.
Here are some examples:
演唱会7点才开始。 （说话人认为时间晚）
The concert starts at 7 o’clock. (The speaker thinks the concert starts late)
演唱会7点就开始了。（说话人认为时间早）
The concert started at 7 o’clock. (The speaker thinks the concert starts early)
我们八点半上班，他九点才到。（晚）
We started to work at 8:30, but he arrived at 9:30. (later than expected)
我们八点半上班，他八点就到公司了。（早）
Wǒmen bā diǎn bàn shàng bān, tā bā diǎn jiù dào le.(zǎo)
We work at 8:30, but he came to the company at 8:00. (earlier than expected)
他三十岁才结婚。（晚）
He didn't get married until he was 30 years old. (emphasizing lateness)
他二十岁就结婚了。（早）
He got married when he was only 20 years old. (emphasizing earliness)
大力用了两个小时才写完作业。（长，慢）
It took Dali two hours to finish his homework. (longer than expected)
小生用了15分钟就写完作业了。（短，快）
It only took Xiaosheng 15 minutes to finish his homework. (faster than expected)
这本书他花了三天才读完。 （长，慢）
It took him three days to finish reading this book. (longer than expected)
这本书他花了一天就读完了。（短，快）
It only took him just one day to finish reading this book. (faster than expected)
2. 才 and 就 can be used together in sentence of contrast
In this case, “才” indicates that the quantity is small, the degree is low, or the ability is weak, while “就” indicates the quantity is large, the degree is high, or the ability is strong.
他才十岁就会说五门语言了。
He was able to speak five languages when he was only 10 years old.
你买了十本书才花200块，我买了一本书就花了200块。
You bought ten books for only 200 yuan, and I bought only one book for 200 yuan.
电影才开始你就不想看了？
The movie just started and you don't want to watch it anymore?
3. 就 can be used as 'only' to express small quantity
就 can be used to mean "only," in the sense of a small quantity. For example,
我就吃了半碗饭。
I ate only half a bowel of rice.
今天就5度。
The temperature today is only 5 degrees.
这件事情就他知道。
Only did he know it.
4. 才 and 就 can be used to express the Time
In this case, 才 can indicate that something just happened, while 就 can indicate that something will happen soon. The pattern is:
Subj. + 才 + Verb Phrase
Subj. + 就 + Verb Phrase + (了)
Examples:
我们才吃过饭。
We had a meal just now.
我们一会儿就吃饭。
We’re going to eat in a few minutes.
我才到家，刚放下书包。
I just got home and put down my school backpack.
我就到家了，再等一会儿。
I’m coming home, wait a moment.
5. Common collocations of 才 and 就
Finally, let’s take a look at some commonly used collocations with “cái” or “jiù”.
(1) 只有… 才… zhǐ yǒu … cái … only if …
只有多说，你的中文才能提高。
Only by speaking more can you improve your Chinese.
只有努力才能做好工作。
Only by working hard can we do a good job.
(2) 如果… 就… rú guǒ … jiù … if… then…
如果有困难就给我打电话。
Call me if you have any difficulties.
如果你们已经不相爱了，就分手吧。
If you no longer love each other, just break up.
(3) 只要......就...... zhǐ yào ...jiù ... as long as…
只要你努力学习，就会有进步。
As long as you study hard, you will make progress.
只要下雨，她心情就会不好。
Whenever it rains, she will be in a bad mood.
(4) 一… 就… yī … jiù … as soon as
妈妈一到家就去做饭了。
Mom went to cook as soon as she got home.
老师一来大家就不说话了。
As soon as the teacher came, everyone stopped talking.
Conclusion, Quiz, Mp3 & Pdf
These are the usages of “jiù” and “cái” in Chinese grammar. We have provided a large number of sample sentences, hoping that this can help you learn how to use these two words better. If you still don’t understand them, you can tell us in the comments, and we will help you solve the puzzle or improve this article. BTW, you can download the MP3 and pdf files of this lesson, and don't forget to take the quiz below:
Comments