Expressing "as one likes" with "jiu"

When we want to express "to do something as one pleases", we can use the "想 + verb +就 + verb" form.

Basic Usage

This structure is similar to how we would say in English "Whatever I want to eat, I eat" or "Wherever I want to go, I go." What comes after the 想 and 就 are the same verb.

Structure

想 + Verb (+ Obj.) + 就 + Verb (+ Obj.)

Examples

• 你 想 来 就来 。 Nǐ xiǎng lái jiù lái. If you want to come, come.
• 想唱 就 大声 唱 。 Xiǎng chàng jiù dàshēng chàng. If you want to sing, sing loudly.
• 想 做 就做 ， 不 想 做 就 别 做 。 Xiǎng zuò jiù zuò, bù xiǎng zuò jiù bié zuò. Do what you want to do, don't do what you don't want to do.

Used with a Question Word

You can also add in a question word, like 什么, 哪儿, or 怎么. When this is the case, the pronouns don't necessarily refer to any specific thing. They can be seen more as words like "whatever" or "wherever." This way, question pronouns (什么,谁,什么时候,etc) serve as "indefinite references".

Structure

想 + Verb + Question Word + 就 + Verb + Question Word

Examples

• 想 去 哪儿 就 去哪儿 。 Xiǎng qù nǎr jiù qù nǎr. Wherever you want to go, go there.
• 你 想 吃 什么 就 吃 什么 ， 我 无所谓 。 Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme jiù chī shénme, wǒ wúsuǒwèi. Eat whatever you want, I don't care.
• 我 想怎样 就怎样 ，不 关 你 的 事 。 Wǒ xiǎng zěnyàng jiù zěnyàng, bù guān nǐ de shì. I will do it how I want to do it. It has nothing to do with you.

See also

• Comparing "cai" and "jiu"
• Events in quick succession with "yi... jiu"
• Expressing earliness with "jiu"
• Expressing indifference with "jiu"
• Limiting Scope with "jiu"
• "If…, then…" with "ruguo…, jiu…"
• Expressing "Anyway" as "fanzheng"

Sources and further reading

Books

• 现代汉语虚词例释 (p. 305)→buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (p. 272) →buy
• 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 59, 104-5) →buy (Indefinite References)
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (p. 414)→buy (Indefinite References)

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (p. 145) →buy