Kilo Lingo
Mandarin grammar Part of Chapter 28

CEFR A2-B1

3 min read

Test yourself (13 questions)

只要…就 vs 只有…才 in Mandarin: As Long As, Only If

By Michael McGettrick and Wee Khang LinUpdated 12 October 2026

(zhǐyào)… (jiù) is "as long as": one condition is enough, and the result follows. (zhǐyǒu)… (cái) is "only if": this is the one way through. The partners are the 就 and 才 you already know: for easy, for hard.

Quick check

Three quick questions on what you have just read. The full practice is further down.

Pick the right one

0/3

The English decides. Tap the Mandarin that says it.

  1. As long as you come, I'll go.

  2. I'll only go if you come.

  3. Just say the word and I'll help you.

The whole system on one screen

The colours stay the same all page long:

只要… 就 (as long as)只有… 才 (only if)What do the colours mean?
PairPinyinMeaningThe bar
… …zhǐyào… jiù…as long aslow: this is enough
… …zhǐyǒu… cái…only ifhigh: this and nothing else
HanziPinyinEnglish
，。Zhǐyào nǐ lái, wǒ jiù qù.As long as you come, I'll go
，。Zhǐyǒu nǐ lái, wǒ cái qù.I'll only go if you come

Same two clauses, opposite attitudes. The first is easy-going: you coming is enough. The second is a hard condition: without you, I stay at home.

只要 (zhǐyào)… 就 (jiù): as long as

只要… 就 (as long as)What do the colours mean?

(zhǐyào) opens the condition; (jiù) opens the result, after its subject and before the verb:

Opener
Condition
Subject
就
Result
，
。
，
。
HanziPinyinEnglish
，。Zhǐyào nǐ shuō, wǒ jiù bāng nǐ.Just say the word and I'll help you
，。Zhǐyào nǐ lái, wǒ jiù hěn gāoxìng.As long as you come, I'm happy
，。Zhǐyào yǒu shíjiān, wǒ jiù gěi nǐ dǎ diànhuà.As long as I have time, I'll ring you

The condition is a low bar, and that makes the pair warm: it promises the result is easy to get.

只有 (zhǐyǒu)… 才 (cái): only if

只有… 才 (only if)What do the colours mean?

(zhǐyǒu) opens the condition; (cái) opens the result, in the same place (jiù) would go:

HanziPinyinEnglish
，。Zhǐyǒu nǐ shuō, tā cái tīng.He only listens if you say it
，。Zhǐyǒu nǐ lái, tā cái huì lái.He'll only come if you come
，。Zhǐyǒu zhèyàng, wèntí cái néng jiějué.Only this way can it be solved

The condition is the single gate. English often has to move words around for this ("only then will…"); Mandarin keeps its order and lets (cái) do the work. (chúfēi)… (cái), "unless", works the same way: ， (chúfēi nǐ lái, wǒ cái qù), I won't go unless you come. It is on unless and in case.

When the second half has no subject of its own, (cái) starts it: ， (zhǐyǒu duō tīng, cái néng tīngdǒng), only by listening a lot can you understand.

Keep each opener with its partner

只要… 就 (as long as)只有… 才 (only if)What do the colours mean?

The pairs do not cross. (zhǐyào) wants (jiù), and (zhǐyǒu) wants (cái):

WrongRightWhy
，。，。 (zhǐyào) is answered by
，。，。 (zhǐyǒu) is answered by
，。，。 (jiù) goes after the subject

The logic is the same as on the 就 and 才 page: (jiù) for sooner or easier, (cái) for later or harder. An easy condition takes the easy partner.

(zhǐyǒu) also has an everyday meaning that is not a condition at all: "only have". (wǒ zhǐyǒu yí ge) is "I've only got one". It means "only if" when (cái) answers it in a second half.

What to do next

  1. Do the drill below.
  2. Make one promise with (zhǐyào)… (jiù) and one demand with (zhǐyǒu)… (cái).
  3. Then read conditionals for the plain "if": (rúguǒ) and (yàoshi).

Practise: test yourself

Pick the right one

0/3

The English decides. Tap the Mandarin that says it.

  1. As long as you come, I'll go.

  2. I'll only go if you come.

  3. Just say the word and I'll help you.

Complete the story

0/3

Choose the word for each gap.

Learning Chinese

老师说：只要你每天说一点，会越来越好。只有多听多说，你能听懂。我想：只每天学，我就不怕。

Gap 1 of 3

Sort into groups

0/4

Which partner answers each opener?

Tap a word, then the group it belongs in.

Matching

0/3

Match each sentence to its English.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between (zhǐyào) and (zhǐyǒu)?
(zhǐyào) sets a low bar: meet this one condition and the result follows. (zhǐyǒu) sets a high bar: this condition and no other. ， (zhǐyào nǐ shuō, wǒ jiù bāng nǐ), just say the word and I'll help; ， (zhǐyǒu nǐ shuō, tā cái tīng), he only listens if you say it.
Does go with or ?
With (jiù): ， (zhǐyào nǐ lái, wǒ jiù qù). (zhǐyǒu) goes with (cái): ， (zhǐyǒu nǐ lái, wǒ cái qù). The partners follow the and logic: for easy, for hard.
Where does or go in the second half?
After the second subject, right before the verb or modal: ， (zhǐyào nǐ lái, wǒ jiù qù), not . When the second half has no subject of its own, it goes first: ， (zhǐyǒu zhèyàng, cái néng xuéhǎo), only this way can you learn it well.
Can I leave out (jiù) after (zhǐyào)?
In quick speech (jiù) is sometimes dropped, but the full pair is never wrong, and learners should keep it. (cái) after (zhǐyǒu) is the word that carries 'only if', so it stays.
Does (zhǐyǒu) always mean 'only if'?
No. On its own, before a noun, it means 'only have': (wǒ zhǐyǒu yí ge), I've only got one. It means 'only if' when it opens a condition answered by (cái) in the second half.