(cái) - only then, just, merely in Mandarin
cáiTraditional: 才
HSK 3
#121 of 5,000 Core 1000
Translation
only then, just, merely
Word origin
才 is generally taken as a pictograph showing a sprout breaking through the ground, conveying the idea of a beginning or budding talent. It is used for 'talent, ability' and as an adverb 'only then, just'.
- Origin
- pictograph
- Root
- a sprout emerging from the ground
Stroke order
才
Examples
。
He only just arrived.
。
Now that is right.
。
I definitely will not go.
。
I just saw him a moment ago.
。
He did not arrive until an hour later.
才 (cái) means only then, just, merely. It is used as a adverb in everyday Mandarin speech.
Appears in 4 words
Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 才.
Used in
Stories
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