Limiting scope with "jiu"

"Limiting scope" means saying, "what I'm about to say applies to just this. You proceed the "this" with 就 (jiù) in this pattern.

Structure

就 (jiù) can be used to limit the scope of a comment, used in the following structure:

就 + topic + (来说 / 而言) + comment

This emphasizes that the speaker is just commenting on that particular topic and nothing else, like "just with regards to" in English. In this sense it is similar to 至于, but is generally used to introduce a new idea, rather than to move on from a previous related topic.

Note that in the pattern above, 来说 is more informal, and 而言 is more formal.

Examples

• 就 中国 的 独生子女 政策 而言，专家 各 有 各 的 看法。As for China's One Child Policy, every expert has their own opinion.
• 就 文化大革命 而言，大部分 的 人 都 认为 那 是 一 场 灾难。As for the Cultural Revolution, a large part of the people think it was a disaster.
• 就 这些 事情 来说，他 没有 错。In regards to these sorts of things, he didn't do anything wrong.

When used in this sense, 就 is generally only used in written Chinese.

See also

• "With Regards to" as "zhiyu"
• "For…" with "eryan"
• Marking a Topic with "de hua"

Sources and Further Reading

HSK5