Expressing "as one likes" with "jiu"
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
When we want to express "to do something as one pleases", we can use the "想 + verb +就 + verb" form.
Structure
This structure is similar to how we would say in English "Whatever I want to eat, I eat" or "Wherever I want to go, I go". What comes after the 想 and 就 are the same verb. You can also add in a question word, like 什么, 哪儿, or 怎么.
想 + Verb + 就 + Verb
Examples
- 你想来就来。If you want to come, come.
- 想去哪儿就去哪。Wherever you want to go, go there.
- 想做就做，不想做就不做。Do what you want to do, don't do what you don't want to do.
- 你想吃什么就吃什么，我无所谓。Eat whatever you want, I don't care.
- 我想怎样就怎样，不关你的事。I will do it how I want to do it. It has nothing to do with you.
See also
- 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…"
- Expressing "Anyway" as "fanzheng"
Sources and further reading
Books
Dictionaries
- 现代汉语词典（第5版） (p. 145) →buy
