Comparing "cai" and "jiu"

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 both have a different tone and feel, and they express different lengths of time.

Emphasis with 才

Expressing lateness with "cai"

才 expresses that the speaker thinks that the time that passed since the action takes place was a long time. Sometimes it expresses anxiety, impatience, anger etc.

Structure

才 + Verb

Examples

• 我 等 了 两 个 小时 才 买 到 票。 I had waited two hours before I bought the ticket.
• 老板 十一 点 才 到 办公室。The boss didn't come to the office until 11 o'clock.
• 他 吃了 三 碗 饭才 吃饱。He had had three bowls of rice before he was full.

Expressing small quantity with "cai"

Structure

才＋MW＋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.

Emphasis with 就

就 expresses that the speaker thinks that the time since the action happened is short, and it has a surprise, unexpectedness, or even sometimes regret.

Structure

就 + Verb + 了

Examples

• 你们 这么 早 就 下班 了？Why are you guys leaving work so early?
• 我的妹妹 十五岁就 上大学 了My younger sister went to college when she was only fifteen.
• 他 五岁 就 和父母 去美国 了。He went to America with his parents when he was only five.

就 is used to express earliness

就 indicates that something has occurred earlier than expected

Structure

Subj. + Time + 就 + Verb + Obj.

Examples

• 他 下午 四 点 半 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.

Example dialog

• A: 你 怎么 才 来？Why didn't you arrive until now?
• B: 我 八点 就 出门 了，路 上 堵车 我 也 没 办法。I left at eight, but there was a traffic jam. I couldn't help it.

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"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (p. 107) →buy