Emphasis with "jiushi"

As an adverb, 就 (jiù) can be placed before the predicate to add emphasis. It often has an intense or provocative feel to it, like how we sometimes say in English "it's just not right!," or other similar phrases. It often appears as 就是.

Structure

It's as simple as putting 就 in front of a verb.

就（是）+ Verb

Examples

• 我就 要 去！Wǒ jiù yào qù! I just want to go!
• 我 就 不 说，他 能 怎么样？Wǒ jiù bù shuō, tā néng zěnmeyàng? I just can't say, what can he do?
• 她 就是 不 听 我 的 话 。Tā jiùshì bù tīng wǒ de huà.She just wouldn't listen to me.
• 那个 女孩 没 什么 特别 的，可是 我 弟弟 就是 喜欢 她。Nàge nǚhái méi shénme tèbié de, kěshì wǒ dìdi jiù shì xǐhuan tā. That girl has got nothing special but my younger brother just likes her.
• 谁 都 知道 抽烟 对 身体 不好，可 很 多 人 就是 不 戒烟。 Shéi dōu zhīdào chōuyān duì shēntǐ bù hǎo, kě hěn duō rén jiù shì bù jièyān. Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your body but a lot of people just don't quit smoking.

See also

• "Just" with "jiu"
• 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…"

Sources and further reading

Books

• 现代汉语虚词例释 (p. 316)→buy

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (p. 733) →buy