Ch 28 · Lesson 8Mandarin · Chapter 28 · Lesson 8 · Grammar primer
就 and 才, further: amounts and only
The same three days can be a lot or a little, and both mean only in different ways, and ？ is a dig.
The short version
The same three days can be quick or slow
。Wǒ sān tiān jiù zuò wán le.
Why?Hide
Put an amount before (jiù) and it was small: (wǒ sān tiān jiù zuò wán le), done in just three days. Before (cái) it was big: (wǒ sān tiān cái zuò wán), it took a whole three days. After (cái), an amount is small: (tā cái shí suì), he's only ten.
The quantity reading: the same three days, twice
Put an amount before the adverb and the same number gets opposite verdicts:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
。 | Wǒ sān tiān jiù zuò wán le. | I got it done in just three days |
。 | Wǒ sān tiān cái zuò wán. | It took me a whole three days |
。 | Zhè běn shū shí kuài qián jiù mǎi dào le. | I got this book for just ten yuan |
。 | Zhè běn shū yìbǎi kuài cái mǎi dào. | It took a whole hundred yuan |
(jiù) says the amount was small enough to be a pleasant surprise; (cái) says it was big enough to notice. Whether three days is a lot is entirely the speaker's call, and the adverb is how they make it.
The two 'onlys'
Both words can come out as "only" in English, but they do different jobs:
| Word | Job | Hanzi | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| (jiù) | narrows it down to one | 。 | Only he knows |
| (jiù) | just this, nothing else | 。 | I just want this one |
| (cái) | the amount is small | 。 | He's only ten |
| (cái) | the amount is small | 。 | I only slept three hours |
Watch where the number sits. Before (cái), it reads as a lot: (sān tiān cái zuò wán), a whole three days. After (cái), it reads as a little: (cái sān tiān), only three days.
(cái) + amount is not always a complaint. (cái wǔ kuài qián), only five yuan, is good news about a price.
Register: what these two do to your tone
Neither word is formal or informal, but (cái) has an edge when the subject is a person in the room:
| Hanzi | Pinyin | How it lands |
|---|---|---|
。 | Nǐ lái le. | You're here: neutral, welcoming |
？ | Nǐ xiànzài cái lái? | You're only getting here now? A dig |
。 | Zhè jiā diàn qùnián cái kāi. | This shop only opened last year: fact |
About things, (cái) is just information. About the listener, assume the complaint is audible and use it on purpose. (jiù) is safe almost everywhere.
Going further: The whole system on one screen and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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