Difference between revisions of "Expressing earliness with "jiu""
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* 她 十八 岁 <em>就</em> 大学 毕业 了。<span class="pinyin">Tā shíbā suì <em>jiù</em> dàxué bìyè le.</span><span class="trans">She graduated from college when she was only 18 years old.</span> | * 她 十八 岁 <em>就</em> 大学 毕业 了。<span class="pinyin">Tā shíbā suì <em>jiù</em> dàxué bìyè le.</span><span class="trans">She graduated from college when she was only 18 years old.</span> | ||
* 我 奶奶 五十 多 岁 <em>就</em> 去世 了。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ nǎinai wǔshí duō suì <em>jiù</em> qùshì le.</span><span class="trans"> Grandma passed away in her fifties.</span> | * 我 奶奶 五十 多 岁 <em>就</em> 去世 了。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ nǎinai wǔshí duō suì <em>jiù</em> qùshì le.</span><span class="trans"> Grandma passed away in her fifties.</span> | ||
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</div> | </div> | ||
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. | 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. | ||
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| + | == Special Usage of 早就== | ||
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| + | 早就 means "long ago". It comes before the verb. | ||
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| + | <div class="liju"> | ||
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| + | *我 <em>早就</em> 知道 了！<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>zǎo jiù</em> zhīdào le!</span><span class="trans">I knew it long time ago!</span> | ||
| + | *她 <em>早就</em> 结婚 了。<span class="pinyin">Tā <em>zǎo jiù</em> jiéhūn le.</span><span class="trans">She got married long time ago.</span> | ||
| + | *我们 <em>早就</em> 毕业 了。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>zǎo jiù</em> bìyè le.</span><span class="trans">We graduated long time ago!</span> | ||
| + | *我 <em>早就</em> 跟 你 说 过，他 不 是 好人。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>zǎo jiù</em> gēn nǐ shuō guo, tā bù shì hǎo rén.</span><span class="trans">I told you long time ago that he's not a good guy.</span> | ||
| + | *这 家 店 <em>早就</em> 关门 了。<span class="pinyin">Zhè jiā diàn <em>zǎo jiù</em> guānmén le.</span><span class="trans">This shop was closed down long time ago.</span> | ||
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| + | </div> | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 10:06, 21 June 2017
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Level
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Used for
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Keywords
Just as 才 (cái) can express lateness, 就 (jiù) can be used to indicate that something happened earlier than expected.
Contents
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！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。We have class at nine in the morning, but he came at eight.
- 爷爷 每天 五点 就 起床 了。Grandpa gets up at five o'clock every day.
- 她 十八 岁 就 大学 毕业 了。She graduated from college when she was only 18 years old.
- 我 奶奶 五十 多 岁 就 去世 了。 Grandma passed away in her fifties.
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.
Special Usage of 早就
早就 means "long ago". It comes before the verb.
- 我 早就 知道 了！I knew it long time ago!
- 她 早就 结婚 了。She got married long time ago.
- 我们 早就 毕业 了。We graduated long time ago!
- 我 早就 跟 你 说 过，他 不 是 好人。I told you long time ago that he's not a good guy.
- 这 家 店 早就 关门 了。This shop was closed down long time ago.
See also
- Comparing "cai" and "jiu"
- Events in quick succession with "yi... jiu"
- Expressing indifference with "jiu"
- Limiting scope with "jiu"
- "If…, then…" with "ruguo…, jiu…"
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
