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How to use 就 (jiù)
就 says something came sooner than you thought, came right after, follows from an “if”, or is only so much. Here are its uses, each answering a question learners ask about it, in sentences with pinyin and sound.
就 for sooner than expected
就 before the verb says it happened earlier, faster or more easily than you would think, and the verb usually takes 了: 他七点就到了, he was there by seven. English mostly leaves this unsaid.
电影八点开始，他七点就到了。
The film starts at eight, and he was there by seven.
她二十岁就当老板了。
She was running her own business at twenty.
我一个晚上就看完了这本书。
I read the whole book in one night.
你六点就起床了？
You were up at six?
就 or 才?
They point opposite ways. 就 says it happened sooner than you would think, 才 later: 他八点就来了, he came as early as eight; 他十点才来, he didn’t come until ten. Before a small amount, both can mean “only”.
他八点就来了。
He came as early as eight.
他十点才来。
He didn’t come until ten.
我找了半天才找到。
I looked for ages before I found it.
他才来一个月就走了。
He’d been here only a month when he left.
就 for what comes next
就 joins what follows to what came first: right after it, because of it, or as the easy next step, where English says “then”, “so” or “just”. 一…就… is “as soon as”.
我下了班就去找你。
I’ll come and find you right after work.
他一回家就玩手机。
The moment he gets home, he’s on his phone.
下雨了，我们就不去了。
It’s raining, so we won’t go.
就在这儿吃吧。
Let’s just eat here.
马上就 and 就要…了: right away, about to
马上就 is “right away”: 我马上就来, I’ll be right there. 就要…了 is “about to”: 火车就要开了, the train is about to leave.
我马上就来！
I’ll be right there!
等一下，饭一会儿就好。
Hold on, dinner will be ready in a minute.
火车就要开了。
The train is about to leave.
快点儿，电影就要开始了！
Hurry, the film is about to start!
If…, then…: 如果…就…, 只要…就…
就 opens what happens if the first part is true: 如果 or 要是 is “if”, 只要 “as long as”. 就 goes after the subject of its part: 你不去，我就不去.
如果你不喜欢，就别买了。
If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.
要是你有时间，就来我家吃饭吧。
If you have time, come to my place for dinner.
只要你每天练习，就能学会。
As long as you practise every day, you’ll learn it.
你再不走就迟到了。
If you don’t go now, you’ll be late.
就 for “only”
Before an amount or a person, 就 can mean “only”, like 只: 我们家就一个孩子, we have only one child, and 就他知道, only he knows.
我们家就一个孩子。
We have only one child.
他每天就睡五个小时。
He sleeps only five hours a night.
这件事就他一个人知道。
Only he knows about this.
钱包里就剩十块钱了。
There’s only ten yuan left in my wallet.
就是 and a firm 就: exactly, simply
就是 before a noun is “is exactly”: 这就是我的家, this is my home. Before a verb, 就 or 就是 is a firm, even stubborn “just”: 我就不去！, I’m just not going!
这就是我的家。
This is my home.
他就是我要找的人。
He’s exactly the person I’m looking for.
我就不去！
I’m just not going!
她就是不听。
She just won’t listen.
就算…也…: even if
就算 begins “even if”, with 也 in the second part: 就算下雨，我也要去, even if it rains, I’m going. 就是 can begin it too.
就算下雨，我也要去。
Even if it rains, I’m going.
就算你不说，我也知道。
Even if you don’t say it, I know.
就是再忙，他也每天给妈妈打电话。
However busy he is, he calls his mum every day.
就 in everyday words
Some words hold 就 for good: 就是 agrees, 早就 is “long ago”, 将就 is making do.
就是！我也这么想。
Exactly! That’s what I think too.
就是 · exactly; is just
我早就知道了。
I knew that ages ago.
早就 · long ago; already
他在音乐上很有成就。
He has achieved a lot in music.
成就 · achievement
没有别的了，将就一下吧。
There’s nothing else, so let’s make do.
将就 · to make do
大学生就业越来越难了。
It’s getting harder for graduates to find jobs.
就业 · to get a job; employment
Now read them in a real story
What does 就 (jiù) mean?
就 has no one word in English. Most often it goes before the verb and says something came sooner than you would think (他七点就到了), came right after something else (我下了班就去), follows from an “if” (如果…就…), or is only so much (就一个). 就是 is “is exactly”.
What’s the difference between 就 and 才?
They feel opposite ways about time: 就 is sooner than expected, 才 later. 他八点就来了 is “he came as early as eight”, and 他十点才来 “he didn’t come until ten”. Before a small amount, both can mean “only”.
What does 就是 mean?
就是 is “is exactly”: 这就是我的家, this is my home. Said alone, 就是！ agrees: “exactly!”. Before a verb it is a stubborn “just” (她就是不听, she just won’t listen), and in 就是…也… it is “even if”.
How do you pronounce 就?
jiù, with a falling fourth tone. It keeps it in 就是 (jiùshì) and 就要 (jiùyào); in 将就 (jiāngjiu), to make do, it is said light.
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Answers and sentences ours, checked against the Chinese Grammar Wiki and the top answers on Chinese Stack Exchange; meanings from our own dictionary; pinyin from our own reader.