Difference between revisions of "Emphasizing a noun with "cai""

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#REDIRECT[[Expressing "only if" with "zhiyou"]]
This is one of the simpler [[才]] patterns, providing a way to emphasize that it's ''THIS'' one (''not'' THAT one).
 
 
 
== Structure==
 
 
 
<div class="jiegou">
 
Noun + 才 + Verb Phrase⋯⋯
 
</div>
 
 
 
=== Examples with 才是 ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
<div class="liju">
 
 
 
*我 花 了 八 千 块 <em>才</em> 买 到 了 旅游 的 东西。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ huā le bā qiān kuài <em>cái</em> mǎi dào le lǚyóu de dōngxi.</span><span class="trans">Only after spending 8000 RMB was I able to buy all the things for the trip.</span>
 
*小明 花 了 很 多 心思 <em>才</em> 设计 出 了 这 张 海报。<span class="pinyin">Xiǎo Míng huā le hěn duō xīnsi <em>cái</em> shèjì chū le zhè zhāng hǎibào.</span></span><span class="trans">Only after putting a lot of thought into it was Xiao Ming able to design this poster.</span>
 
*他 用 了 很 多 年 <em>才</em> 原谅 了 他的 妈妈。 <span class="pinyin">Tā yòng le hěn duō nián <em>cái</em> yuánliàng le tā de māma.</span></span><span class="trans">Only after many years was he able to forgive his mom.</span>
 
*那 本 书 我 看 了 两 遍 <em>才</em> 看 懂。<span class="pinyin">Nà běn shū wǒ kàn le liǎng biàn <em>cái</em> kàn dǒng.</span></span><span class="trans">I had to read that book twice to understand it.</span>
 
*我 去 了 三 次 北京 <em>才</em> 见 到 了 那个 客户。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ qù le sān cì Běijīng <em>cái</em> jiàn dào le nàge kèhù.</span></span><span class="trans">Only after making three trips to Beijing was I finally able to meet that client.</span>
 
*他 找 了 好几 个 月 <em>才</em> 找到 合适 的 房子 。<span class="pinyin">Tā zhǎo le hǎojǐ gè yuè <em>cái</em> zhǎodào héshì de fángzi.</span></span><span class="trans">Only after searching for quite a few months was he able to find a suitable apartment.</span>
 
 
 
</div>
 
 
 
Note that for each of these examples, events have ''already occurred''. The fuller [[Expressing "only if" with "zhiyou"|只有……才…… pattern]] is more appropriate for the future or for hypothetical situations.
 
 
 
=== Other Examples ===
 
 
 
<div class="liju">
 
 
 
*她 做 完 了 功课 <em>才</em> 睡觉。<span class="pinyin">Tā zuò wán le gōngkè <em>cái</em> shuìjiào.</span></span><span class="trans">Not until she finished her homework did she go to sleep.</span>
 
*他 锁 上 了 门 <em>才</em> 想起来 没有 带 钥匙。<span class="pinyin">Tā suǒ shàng le mén <em>cái</em> xiǎng qǐlái méiyǒu dài yàoshi.</span></span><span class="trans">He didn't realize he had forgotten to bring his key until after he had locked the door.</span>
 
*我 把 牛奶 喝 完 了, <em>才</em> 发现 牛奶 过期 了。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ bǎ niúnǎi hē wán le, <em>cái</em> fāxiàn niúnǎi guòqī le.</span></span><span class="trans">I finished off the milk, and only then did I discover that it was expired.</span>
 
*等 妈妈 打 来 了 电话,宝宝 <em>才</em> 不 哭 了。<span class="pinyin">Děng māma dǎ lái le diànhuà, bǎobao <em>cái</em> bù kū le.</span></span><span class="trans">Only after her mom called did the baby stop crying.</span>
 
 
 
</div>
 
 
 
== Sources and further reading ==
 
 
 
=== Books ===
 
 
 
{{Source|Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide|95, 263, 266}}
 
 
 
[[Category: B1 grammar points]]
 
{{HSK|HSK3}}
 
{{Basic Grammar|才|B1|⋯⋯,才⋯⋯|你 <em>才 是</em> 笨蛋 !|grammar point|HHHHHHH}}
 
{{Similar|Expressing lateness with "cai"}}
 
{{Similar|"As long as" with "zhiyao"}}
 
{{Similar|Expressing difficulty with "hao (bu) rongyi"}}
 
{{Similar|Expressing "all the way until" with "zhidao"}}
 
{{Similar|Comparing "cai" and "jiu"}}
 
{{Used for|Emphasizing}}
 
{{POS|Adverbs}}
 

Latest revision as of 04:46, 27 November 2020