Comparing "cai" and "jiu"
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Used for
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Keywords
Both 才 (cái) and 就 (jiù) are adverbs that have to do with expressing time, and they are both placed in front of the verb. However, they have opposite effects on the tone of the sentence, with 才 (cái) implying a sense of lateness, and 就 (jiù) imparting a sense of earliness.
Contents
Emphasis with 才
Expressing Lateness with "cai"
才 indicates that the speaker feels that the events discussed happened later than expected. Sometimes it also expresses anxiety, impatience, anger, or other related emotions.
Structure
Subj. + Time Word + 才 + Verb
Examples
- 我 等 了 两 个 小时 才 买到 票。 I waited two hours to buy the ticket.
- 老板 十一 点 才 到 办公室。 The boss didn't come to the office until 11 o'clock.
- 这个 项目 最少 要 花 两 个 月 才 能 做 完。It's going to take at least two months to complete this project.
Expressing Small Quantity with "cai"
才 can also mean "only" in the sense of a small quantity.
Structure
才 ( + Verb) + Measure Word + Noun
Examples
- 我们 有 这么 多 人，你 才 点 了 三 个 菜。 We have so many people and you only ordered three dishes.
- 我 买 了 这么 多 东西，才 花 了 五 百 块 。 I bought this many things, and I only spent 500 RMB.
Expressing "Not Late" with 才 and Time
When 才 is followed by a time, it can express the idea of "only," as in, "it's only 9 o'clock," expressing the idea that "9 o'clock is not late." This would seem to be the opposite of the 才 expressing "lateness," but it's important to remember that this 才 precedes a time, and not an action.
Structure
(现在) + 才 + Time
Examples
- 现在 才 九点 ，再 玩 一会儿 。It's only nine o'clock. Stay and hang out a little bit more.
- 才 六点 ，起 那么 早 干吗 ？It's only six. Why did you get up so early?
Emphasis with 就
Used to Express Earliness
就 indicates that something has occurred earlier than the speaker expected. There may be an accompanying feeling of surprise or amazement.
Structure
Subj. + Time + 就 + Verb + Obj.＋了
Examples
- 他 下午 四点 就 吃 晚饭 了。He ate dinner at four in the afternoon.
- 她 十九 岁 就 结婚 了。She got married when she was 19.
- 我 八点 就 出门 了，路 上 堵车，我 迟到 了 十 分钟。I left at eight, but there was a traffic jam. I was ten minutes late.
- 你们 这么 早 就 下班 了？You guys leaving work so early?
- 你 妹妹 十五 岁 就 上 大学 了？Your younger sister started college when she was only fifteen?
Used to Express Small Quantity
就 can be used to mean "only," in the sense of a small quantity.
Structure
Subj. + 就 + (＋Verb) ＋ Measure Word ＋ Noun
Examples
- 我们 有 这么 多 人，你 就 买 了 一 瓶 可乐？We have all these people, and you just bought that one bottle of cola?
- 你们 每天 就 睡 四 个 小时？ Do you only sleep four hours every day?
- 每 个 人 都 写 了 五页 纸，你 就 写 了 一 页 纸！ Everyone wrote five pages, but you wrote just one?
- 那 时候 中国人 都 生 四 五 个 孩子，他们 家 就 一 个 孩子？ At that time Chinese people all had four or five children, but their family only had one?
- 我们 有 十 个 人，但是 就 这么 一 小 碗饭？！A big man like you only eats one small bowl of rice?
Using 才 and 就 Together
They're not matter and anti-matter; these two "opposite" words can actually be used together. When used together, they're the "just recently" meaning of 才 and the "early" meaning of 就. Together, they indicate that one thing just happened recently, and then the other happened soon after.
"才"表示动作在说话前不久发生，有" 刚、刚刚"的意思。常常跟"就"连用，形容某事发生得很快。
Structure
Subj + 才 + Verb + 就 + Verb Phrase
Examples
- 你 才 来 就 要 走 ？不 多 坐 一会儿 ？You just came and you‘re not going to stay a little longer?
- 电影 才 开始 你 就 不 想 看 了 ？The movie just started and you don't want to see it now?
- 他 才 毕业 就 找到 了 这么 好 的 工作 ？How come he found such a good job while he just graduated from college?
See also
- Expressing lateness with "cai"
- Expressing earliness with "jiu"
- "cai" used for small numbers
- "Just" with "jiu"
- Emphasis with "jiu"
- Expressing "as one likes" with "jiu"
- Expressing indifference with "jiu"
- Limiting scope with "jiu"
