Expressing earliness with "jiu"

Just as 才 (cái) can express lateness, 就 (jiù) can be used to indicate that something happened earlier or sooner than expected. It can also be used in the near future to indicate something will happen very soon.

就 as "Right Away" (in the Future)

Structure

The pattern is as follows:

Subj. + Time Word + 就 + Verb

Examples

• 我 马上 就 来 。Wǒ mǎshàng jiù lái.I'll be there in a second.
• 饭 很快 就 好 。Fàn hěnkuài jiù hǎo.Dinner will be ready very soon.
• 你们 现在 就 出门 吗 ？Nǐmen xiànzài jiù chūmén ma?Are you leaving the house right now?
• 他们 一会儿 就 到 。Tāmen yīhuìr jiù dào.They will be here in a few minutes.
• 老板 明天 就 回来 。Lǎobǎn míngtiān jiù huílái.The boss will be back tomorrow.

就 as "Early" (in the Past)

Structure

The pattern is as follows:

Subj. + Time Word + 就 + Verb + Obj. + 了

In English this might be expressed with "as early as," but usually it's not specifically marked.

Examples

• 我 昨晚 八 点 半 就 睡觉 了 。Wǒ zuówǎn bā diǎn bàn jiù shuìjiào le.I went to bed at half past eight last night.
• 我们 早上 九点 上课，可是 他 八点 就 来 了。Wǒmen zǎoshang jiǔ diǎn shàngkè, kěshì tā bā diǎn jiù lái le.We have class at nine in the morning, but he came at eight.
• 爷爷 每天 五点 就 起床 了。 Yéye měitiān wǔdiǎn jiù qǐchuáng le.Grandpa gets up at five o'clock every day.
• 她 十八 岁 就 大学 毕业 了。Tā shíbā suì jiù dàxué bìyè le.She graduated from college when she was only 18 years old.

From the example sentences it is clear that 了 naturally occurs with a verb used after 就. This is because verbs following 就 generally have the feeling of being completed.

Usage of 早就

早就 means "long ago," and is usually used to express a kind of impatience or surprise on the part of the speaker. It comes before the verb.

• 我 早就 知道 了！Wǒ zǎo jiù zhīdào le!I knew that long ago!
• 她 早就 结婚 了。Tā zǎo jiù jiéhūn le.She got married long time ago.
• 我们 早就 毕业 了。Wǒmen zǎo jiù bìyè le.We graduated a long time ago!
• 我 早就 跟 你 说 过，他 不 是 好人。Wǒ zǎo jiù gēn nǐ shuō guo, tā bù shì hǎo rén.I told you a long time ago that he's not a good guy.
• 这 家 店 早就 关门 了。Zhè jiā diàn zǎo jiù guānmén le.This shop closed a long time ago.

See also

• Comparing "cai" and "jiu"
• Events in quick succession with "yi... jiu"
• Expressing indifference with "jiu"
• Limiting scope with "jiu"
• "If…, then…" with "ruguo…, jiu…"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (pp. 181-2) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 102-3) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (p. 239)→buy

Websites

• East Asia Student: 就 and 才 in Mandarin: as early as, not until