AdverbsHSK 5

Comparing 才 and 就

才 indicates that an action happened later than expected or took a long time to occur. 就, by contrast, shows that something happened sooner or more easily than anticipated. Pay attention to word order: time words come directly before 才 or 就.

Structure

Subj. + Time Word + 才 + Verb

emphasizes lateness or delay; the action occurs only at or after the time mentioned

Examples

我等了两个小时才买到票。
Wǒ děng le liǎng gè xiǎoshí cái mǎi dào piào.
I waited two hours before I could buy the ticket.
老板十一点才到办公室。
Lǎobǎn shíyī diǎn cái dào bàngōngshì.
The boss didn't come to the office until 11 o'clock.
这个项目最少要花两个月才能做完。
Zhège xiàngmù zuì shǎo yào huā liǎng gè yuè cái néng zuò wán.
It's going to take at least two months to complete this project.

Words that use this

才cáiability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then; just now; (before an expression of quantity) only
就jiù(after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 是) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly; only; as little as; as much as; as many as; to approach; to move towards; to undertake; to engage in; (often followed by 着) taking advantage of; (of food) to go with; with regard to; concerning; (pattern: 就 ... 也 ...) even if ... still ...; (pattern: 不 ... 就 ...) if not ... then must be ...