Expressing "only if" with "zhiyou"

只有 (zhǐyǒu) means "only if," and is used with 才 (cái) to emphasize that only one course of action will bring about the desired outcome.

Full Pattern with 只有 and 才

Structure

只有 + Essential Condition + 才 (能) + Desired Outcome

Note that 才 is often followed by 能, but not always. This pattern is usually used for hypothetical situations, and is used what is in logic called a "necessary and sufficient condition," meaning "if and only if...."

Examples

• 只有 努力 才 能 做 好 工作。Zhǐyǒu nǔlì cái néng zuò hǎo gōngzuò.Only if you work hard is it possible to do a good job.
• 只有 多 吃饭 才 能 长高。Zhǐyǒu duō chīfàn cái néng zhǎng gāo.Only if you eat more will you be able to grow tall.
• 只有 多 说，你的 中文 才 会 提高。Zhǐyǒu duō shuō, nǐ de Zhōngwén cái huì tígāo.Only if you speak more will your Chinese improve.
• 只有 大家 一起 做 才 能 成功。Zhǐyǒu dàjiā yīqǐ zuò cái néng chénggōng.Only if everyone works together can we succeed.
• 只有 写 完 你的 作业 才 能 看 电视。Zhǐyǒu xiě wán nǐ de zuòyè cái néng kàn diànshì.Only if you finish your homework can you watch TV.
• 只有 妈妈 在 我们 才 能 出去 玩。 Zhǐyǒu māma zài wǒmen cái néng chūqù wán.Only if Mom is here can we go out and play.
• 只有 每天 跑步，你的 身体 才 会 健康。Zhǐyǒu měi tiān pǎobù, nǐ de shēntǐ cái huì jiànkāng.Only if you go running every day can you have a healthy body.
• 只有 老板 同意 这个 建议，我们 才 能 做。Zhǐyǒu lǎobǎn tóngyì zhège jiànyì, wǒmen cái néng zuò.We can only do this if the boss agrees with the suggestion.
• 只有 你 吃 过 了，你 才 能 说 好 不 好吃。Zhǐyǒu nǐ chī guò le, nǐ cái néng shuō hǎo bù hǎochī.You can only tell if it's good or not if you have eaten it before.
• 只有 学习 了 拼音，你 才 能 更 好 地 学 汉字。Zhǐyǒu xuéxí le pīnyīn, nǐ cái néng gèng hǎo de xué hànzì.Only if you have learned pinyin can you learn Chinese characters better.

Note that for each of these examples, events have not already occurred. If they have, consider using the "only after" 才 pattern which doesn't use 只有.

Short Form with 才 Only

This is one of the simpler 才 patterns, providing a way to emphasize that it's THIS one (not THAT one). There's no "only if" here, but the 只有 is still implied in Chinese (meaning "it is only"). While this pattern has many uses, one of the most common (and most childish) is as a not-so-witty comeback, in the form of, "no, YOU are!"

Structure

Noun + 才 + Verb Phrase⋯⋯

Examples

• 你 才 是 笨蛋 ！Nǐ cái shì bèndàn!YOU're the idiot!
• 在 某些 西方 国家 里 ， 白人 才 是 真正 的 西方人 。 我 不 同意 。 Zài mǒuxiē xīfāng guójiā lǐ, báirén cái shì zhēnzhèng de xīfāngrén. Wǒ bù tóngyì.In some western countries, it's only white people that are the "real" westerners. I don't agree.

See also

• "As long as" with "zhiyao"
• "If…, then…" with "ruguo…, jiu…"

Sources and further reading

Books

• HSK Standard Course 3 (pp. 172) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (新实用汉语课本4) (pp. 42) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy
• 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 (pp. 113) 卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (pp. 516) [ →buy]

Websites

• Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary 只 and 只有
• Wikipedia: Necessity and sufficiency

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