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 to 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（是）+ Verb

Examples

• 我就 要 去！Wǒ jiù yào qù! I just want to go!
• 我 就是 喜欢 他。Wǒ jiù shì xǐhuan tā.I just like him.
• 他 就是 想 出国。Tā jiù shì xiǎng chūguó.He just wants to go abroad.
• 她 就是不 听 我 的 话 。Tā jiù shì bù tīng wǒ de huà.She just wouldn't listen to me.
• 谁 都 知道 抽烟 对 身体 不好，可 很 多 人 就是 不 戒烟。 Shéi dōu zhīdào chōuyān duì shēntǐ bù hǎo, kě hěn duō rén jiù shì bù jièyān. Everyone knows that smoking is bad for your body but a lot of people just don't quit smoking.

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