只怕 (zhǐ pà) — (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, zhǐ pà kǎo shì.
    He fears nothing except exams.
  • ，只怕。
    Zhè me wǎn le, tā zhǐ pà yǐ jīng zǒu le.
    It's so late; I'm afraid he has already left.
  • ，只怕。
    Nǐ zhè yàng zuò, zhǐ pà huì rě má fan.
    If you do this, you'll likely cause trouble.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

只zhīonly
怕pàfear

只 means only and 怕 means fear, so 只怕 can mean only fear or very likely.

Characters in this word

A 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.

Open 只 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
心心xīnheart
Sound part声符shēngfú
白
白bái怕pà
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

怕 pairs 心 (heart) with 白, which gives the sound.

Open 怕 →

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