只怕 (zhī) — (only) fear (used to single out the only concern); (expressing probability) I'm afraid that..., very likely
Definition
只怕 (zhǐpà) marks the speaker's single concern or a likely outcome — 'the only thing I fear is…' or 'I'm afraid that…'. It highlights one worry amid everything else being fine.
verb
(only) fear (used to single out the only concern)(expressing probability) I'm afraid that...very likely
Examples
- ，只怕。Tā shén me dōu bú pà, zhī kǎo shì.He fears nothing except exams.
- ，只怕。Zhè me wǎn le, tā zhī yǐ jīng zǒu le.It's so late; I'm afraid he has already left.
- ，只怕。Nǐ zhè yàng zuò, zhī huì rě má fan.If you do this, you'll likely cause trouble.
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