Emphasizing a noun with "cai"

This is one of the simpler 才 patterns, providing a way to emphasize that it's THIS one (not THAT one).

Structure

Noun + 才 + Verb Phrase⋯⋯

Examples with 才是

• 我 花 了 八 千 块 才 买 到 了 旅游 的 东西。Wǒ huā le bā qiān kuài cái mǎi dào le lǚyóu de dōngxi.Only after spending 8000 RMB was I able to buy all the things for the trip.
• 小明 花 了 很 多 心思 才 设计 出 了 这 张 海报。Xiǎo Míng huā le hěn duō xīnsi cái shèjì chū le zhè zhāng hǎibào.Only after putting a lot of thought into it was Xiao Ming able to design this poster.
• 他 用 了 很 多 年 才 原谅 了 他的 妈妈。 Tā yòng le hěn duō nián cái yuánliàng le tā de māma.Only after many years was he able to forgive his mom.
• 那 本 书 我 看 了 两 遍 才 看 懂。Nà běn shū wǒ kàn le liǎng biàn cái kàn dǒng.I had to read that book twice to understand it.
• 我 去 了 三 次 北京 才 见 到 了 那个 客户。Wǒ qù le sān cì Běijīng cái jiàn dào le nàge kèhù.Only after making three trips to Beijing was I finally able to meet that client.
• 他 找 了 好几 个 月 才 找到 合适 的 房子 。Tā zhǎo le hǎojǐ gè yuè cái zhǎodào héshì de fángzi.Only after searching for quite a few months was he able to find a suitable apartment.

Note that for each of these examples, events have already occurred. The fuller 只有……才…… pattern is more appropriate for the future or for hypothetical situations.

Other Examples

• 她 做 完 了 功课 才 睡觉。Tā zuò wán le gōngkè cái shuìjiào.Not until she finished her homework did she go to sleep.
• 他 锁 上 了 门 才 想起来 没有 带 钥匙。Tā suǒ shàng le mén cái xiǎng qǐlái méiyǒu dài yàoshi.He didn't realize he had forgotten to bring his key until after he had locked the door.
• 我 把 牛奶 喝 完 了， 才 发现 牛奶 过期 了。Wǒ bǎ niúnǎi hē wán le, cái fāxiàn niúnǎi guòqī le.I finished off the milk, and only then did I discover that it was expired.
• 等 妈妈 打 来 了 电话，宝宝 才 不 哭 了。Děng māma dǎ lái le diànhuà, bǎobao cái bù kū le.Only after her mom called did the baby stop crying.

Sources and further reading

Books

• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 95, 263, 266) Anything Goes (无所不谈) →buy

:Yes

HSK4