Expressing earliness with "jiu"

Level

B1 / HSK2
Level

B1
Level

HSK2
Similar to
- Expressing "then" with "jiu" (A2)
- Events in quick succession with "yi... jiu..." (B1)
- Expressing lateness with "cai" (B1)
- Comparing "cai" and "jiu" (B2)
Similar to
- Expressing "then" with "jiu" (HSK2)
- Comparing "cai" and "jiu" (HSK3)
- Expressing lateness with "cai" (HSK3)
- Events in quick succession with "yi... jiu..." (HSK4)
Used for

Sequencing events in time, Expressing time and date, Expressing attitude
Keywords

了, 就

Just as 才 (cái) can express lateness, 就 (jiù) can be used to indicate that something happened earlier or sooner than expected. It can also be used in the near future to indicate something will happen very soon.

Structure

The pattern is as follows:

Subj. + Time + 就 + Verb + Obj.

In English this might be expressed with "as early as," but usually it's not specifically marked.

Examples

我昨晚八点半就睡觉了。Wǒ zuówǎn bā diǎn bàn jiù shuìjiào le.I went to bed at half past eight last night.
我们早上九点上课，可是他八点就来了。Wǒmen zǎoshang jiǔ diǎn shàngkè, kěshì tā bā diǎn jiù lái le.We have class at nine in the morning, but he came at eight.
爷爷每天五点就起床了。 Yéye měitiān wǔdiǎn jiù qǐchuáng le.Grandpa gets up at five o'clock every day.
她十八岁就大学毕业了。Tā shíbā suì jiù dàxué bìyè le.She graduated from college when she was only 18 years old.
我马上就来。Wǒ mǎshàng jiù lái.I'll be there in a second.
他们一会儿就到。Tāmen yīhuìr jiù dào.They will be here in a few minutes.
老板明天就回来。Lǎobǎn míngtiān jiù huílái.The boss will be back by tomorrow.

From the example sentences it is clear that 了 naturally occurs with a verb used after 就. This is because verbs following 就 generally have the feeling of being completed.

Usage of 早就

早就 means "long ago." It comes before the verb.

我早就知道了！Wǒ zǎo jiù zhīdào le!I knew it long time ago!
她早就结婚了。Tā zǎo jiù jiéhūn le.She got married long time ago.
我们早就毕业了。Wǒmen zǎo jiù bìyè le.We graduated long time ago!
我早就跟你说过，他不是好人。Wǒ zǎo jiù gēn nǐ shuō guo, tā bù shì hǎo rén.I told you long time ago that he's not a good guy.
这家店早就关门了。Zhè jiā diàn zǎo jiù guānmén le.This shop was closed down long time ago.

Sources and further reading

Books

Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1 (pp. 181-2) →buy
New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 102-3) →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