Definition
才 (cái) is an adverb with several meanings. As 'just now', it's used right before the verb and often with a following action (e.g., 'just arrived and then...'), unlike the adverbs 刚刚 (same meaning, no following action required) and the noun 刚才 (which can stand alone as a time reference). In front of a number, 才 means 'only, merely'.
adverb
(adverb, before quantity) onlymerely(adverb, after time) just nowonly a moment ago(adverb, in conditional patterns) only thennot until
Easily confused
- 猜cāisound-aliketo guess
- 菜càisound-alikedish; vegetable; cuisine
- 踩cǎisound-aliketo step on; to tread on
- 采cǎisound-aliketo pick, to pluck (flowers, fruit, tea)
- 裁cáisound-aliketo cut (fabric, paper, etc.)
Examples
- 才，。Wǒ cái chī le liǎng wǎn fàn, hái è.I only ate two bowls of rice, still hungry.
- 才，。Tā cái dào jiàoshì, jiù shàngkè le.He just arrived at the classroom, and class started.
- ，。Zhǐyǒu nǔlì xuéxí, cái néng tōngguò kǎoshì.Only by studying hard can you pass the exam.
Grammar
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