Expressing lateness with "cai"

One of the ways to express lateness in Chinese is with 才 (cái).

Structure

To express that something happened later than expected, you can use 才.

Subj. + Time + 才 + Verb + Obj.

In English this might be expressed with "as late as" or "not until." This form is often used with a time number of some sort, like a specific time, age etc.

Examples

• 我 昨天 十 点 才 下班。Wǒ zuótiān shí diǎn cái xiàbān.I got off work until ten o'clock yesterday.
• 他 二十 五 岁 才 去 上 大学。Tā èrshí wǔ suì cái qù shàng dàxué.He didn't go to college until he was 25.
• 我们 十点 上课，可是 他 十 点 半 才 来。Wǒmen shí diǎn shàngkè, kěshì tā shí diǎn bàn cái lái.We have class at 10 o'clock, but he didn't come until 10:30.
• 如果 我 晚上 十二 点 半 才 回家，我妈 会 很 不 高兴。Rúguǒ wǒ wǎnshàng shíèr diǎn bàn cái huí jiā, wǒ mā huì hěn bù gāoxìng.If I don't get home until 12:30 pm, my mother will be very unhappy.
• 我 等 了 十 分钟，他 才 给 我 开门。Wǒ děng le shí fēnzhōng, tācái gěi wǒ kāimén.He didn't open the door until I waited for ten minutes.

Note that verbs following 才 cannot take 了，as the action does not have the sense of being completed. So, in the above situation, it is wrong to say:

• 昨天 晚上 我的 女儿 一点半 才 回家 了 。Zuótiān wǎnshàng wǒ de nǚ'ér yīdiǎn bàn cái huí jiā le.

See also

• Expressing earliness with "jiu"
• Comparing "cai" and "jiu"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 117-8) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (3rd ed) (pp. 139) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课上册） (p. 239)→buy

Websites

• East Asia Student: 就 and 才 in Mandarin: as early as, not until