才 (cái) — (adverb, before quantity) only, merely; (adverb, after time) just now, only a moment ago; (adverb, in conditional patterns) only then, not until
Definition
As an adverb, 才 means 'only just / not until' (after a time: 刚才 vs 才 = a moment ago vs only a moment ago, highlighting lateness) or 'only' before a quantity. Contrast 刚才 (noun, 'a moment ago') and 刚刚 ('just now').
adverb
(adverb, before quantity) onlymerely(adverb, after time) just nowonly a moment ago(adverb, in conditional patterns) only thennot until
Easily confused
Examples
- 才，。Wǒ cái chī le liǎng wǎn fàn, hái è.I only ate two bowls of rice, still hungry.
- 才，。Tā cái dào jiào shì, jiù shàng kè le.He just arrived at the classroom, and class started.
- ，。Zhǐ yǒu nǔ lì xué xí, cái néng tōng guò kǎo shì.Only by studying hard can you pass the exam.
Origin
Pictograph六书liùshū
象形xiàngxíngA drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.
才 originally drew a sharp peg, not a sprout growing from the ground.
Grammar
Appears in
Browse more HSK 3 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.