B2 · Grammar reference · ASGLOS9C
Comparing "cai" and "jiu"
Both 才 (cái) and 就 (jiù) are adverbs that have to do with expressing time, and they are both placed before verbs. However, they typically have opposite effects on the tone of the sentence, with 才 (cái) implying a sense of lateness, and 就 (jiù) imparting a sense of earliness.
- Keywords
- 才 · 就
- Used for
- Expressing time and date · Expressing attitude · Sequencing events in time
- Classification
- HSK3
Examples (19)
我等了两个小时才买到票。
老板十一点才到办公室。
这个项目最少要花两个月才能做完。
我们有这么多人，你才点了三个菜。
我买了这么多东西，才花了五百块。
现在才九点，再玩一会儿。
才六点，起那么早干吗？
她十九岁就结婚了。
你妹妹十五岁就上大学了？
他下午四点就吃晚饭了。
你们这么早就下班了？
我八点就出门了，路上堵车，我还是迟到了十分钟。
我们有这么多人，你就买了一瓶可乐？
你们每天就睡四个小时？
每个人都写了五页纸，你就写了一页纸！
那时候中国人都生四五个孩子，他们家就一个孩子？
你才来就要走？不多坐一会儿？
电影才开始你就不想看了？
他才毕业就找到了这么好的工作？
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Summary, structure, classification, and adapted sentence examples draw from the AllSet Learning Chinese Grammar Wiki under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; changes were made. This noncommercial reference is based on an October 2023 snapshot.
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