只 (zhǐ) — only, just, merely
Definition
只 (zhǐ) means 'only' and scopes the word right after it (e.g. 我只喜欢喝茶 = I only like drinking tea). 仅 and 仅仅 are more formal/literary synonyms; 只是 softens the statement and often means 'but / it's just that'.
adverb
onlyjustmerely
Examples
- 只。Wǒ zhǐ xǐ huan hē chá.I only like to drink tea.
- 只，。Tā zhǐ huì shuō yīng yǔ, bú huì shuō zhōng wén.He can only speak English, not Chinese.
- 。Zhè lǐ zhǐ yǒu yí gè shāng diàn.There is only one shop here.
Origin
Pictograph六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíngA drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.
只 shows air coming out of a mouth, for a word used in speech.
Grammar
Appears in
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