Emphasis with "jiushi"

As an adverb, 就 (jiù) can be placed before the predicate to add emphasis. It often has an intense or provocative feel it it, like how we sometimes say in English "it's just not right!", or other similar phrases. It often appears as 就是.

Structure

It's as simple as putting 就 in front of a verb.

就 + Verb

Examples

• 我就是喜欢她。Wǒ jiù shì xǐhuān tā.I just like her.
• 我就不说，他能怎么样？Wǒ jiù bù shuō, tā néng zěnme yàng?I just can't say, what can he do?
• 她就是漂亮，谁也不如她。Tā jiù shì piàoliang, shuí yě bùrú tā.She's just so beautiful. No one is like her.
• 我就是不让你去。Wǒ jiù shì bù ràng nǐ qù.I'm just not going to let you go.

See also

• "Just" with "jiu"
• Comparing "cai" and "jiu"
• Events in quick succession with "yi... jiu"
• Expressing earliness with "jiu"
• Expressing indifference with "jiu"
• Limiting scope with "jiu"
• "If…, then…" with "ruguo…, jiu…"

Sources and further reading

Books

• 现代汉语虚词例释 (p. 316)→buy

Dictionaries

• 现代汉语词典（第5版） (p. 733) →buy