Mastering the Chinese Word 就. What does 就 mean?

Hello, everyone! For almost every student learning Chinese, including myself, one of the most confusing parts of mastering the language is figuring out how to use the word 就 (jiù). If you check the dictionary, you might find over 70 definitions for just this one word. 就 can be an adverb, a conjunction, a preposition, or a verb, and it also appears in many patterns and proverbs.

To help simplify thingsr, this blog post will break down the common ways we use 就 in Chinese. We will look at the most frequent uses of 就 as an adverb.

Explaining How 就 Functions as an Adverb

Usually, as an adverb, 就 appears right before the verb. Most of the time, instead of thinking of it as a word, think of it as a symbol—more precisely, an arrow that indicates emphasis, sequence, or consequence. Here's what I mean:

If I show you an arrow pointing at the letter A among other letters, you naturally understand that I'm emphasizing letter A. Now, imagine I tell you that X and Y are two events, and I place an arrow between them. You would likely understand that the arrow indicates that X leads to Y, or X happens first and then Y.

Keep these two pictures in mind because this is exactly what 就 does most of the time.

For example:

• - 你见过我的朋友 Taylor 吗? 那个就是 Taylor。 (Nǐ jiànguò wǒ de péngyǒu Taylor ma? Nàgè jiù shì Taylor.)

• "Have you met my friend Taylor? That is Taylor."

Here, 就 emphasizes that the person is exactly the Taylor you mentioned earlier.

• - 这里就是我的家。 (Zhèlǐ jiù shì wǒ de jiā.)

• "Here is my home."

Taylor's statement emphasizes that this location is indeed his home, perhaps mentioned before.

Using 就 to Indicate Sequence or Consequence

This sense of sequence or consequence can often be translated into the English word "then." For instance:

• - Taylor 每天一回家就吃晚饭。 (Taylor měitiān yī huí jiā jiù chī wǎnfàn.)

• "As soon as Taylor gets home every day, he eats dinner."

• - Taylor 吃完饭就玩电脑。 (Taylor chī wán fàn jiù wán diànnǎo.)

• "Taylor finishes eating, then he plays on the computer."

While "then" can be placed in brackets in translations, the meaning is implied, emphasizing immediacy.

Exploring Patterns with 就

Let's move to more complex patterns where 就 has partners offering additional context.

Consider these sentences:

• - 只要 Taylor 高兴，妈妈就给他买一个新电脑。 (Zhǐyào Taylor gāoxìng, māmā jiù gěi tā mǎi yīgè xīn diànnǎo.)

• "As long as Taylor is happy, then mom will buy him a new computer."

• - 假如 Taylor 高兴，妈妈就给他买一个新电脑。 (Jiǎrú Taylor gāoxìng, māmā jiù gěi tā mǎi yīgè xīn diànnǎo.)

• "If Taylor is happy, then mom will buy him a new computer."

• - 一旦 Taylor 高兴，妈妈就给他买一个新电脑。 (Yīdàn Taylor gāoxìng, māmā jiù gěi tā mǎi yīgè xīn diànnǎo.)

• "Once Taylor is happy, then mom will buy him a new computer."

• - 等到 Taylor 高兴，妈妈就给他买一个新电脑。 (Děngdào Taylor gāoxìng, māmā jiù gěi tā mǎi yīgè xīn diànnǎo.)

• "Wait until Taylor is happy, then mom will buy him a new computer."

Here's another group of sentences:

• - Taylor 很有钱，他想买哪个电脑就买哪个电脑。 (Taylor hěn yǒu qián, tā xiǎng mǎi nǎgè diànnǎo jiù mǎi nǎgè diànnǎo.)

• "Taylor is very rich; he can buy whichever computer he wants."

• - 妈妈不管 Taylor，他要买哪个电脑，就买哪个电脑。 (Māmā bùguǎn Taylor, tā yāo mǎi nǎgè diànnǎo, jiù mǎi nǎgè diànnǎo.)

• "Mom doesn't care; Taylor can buy whichever computer he wants."

• - 这个电脑不是爸爸的，就是妈妈的。 (Zhège diànnǎo bù shì bàba de, jiù shì māmā de.)

• "If this computer isn't dad's, then it is mom's," or "This computer is either dad's or mom's."

• - 这个电脑坏了就坏了，我会买一个新的。 (Zhège diànnǎo huàile jiù huàile, wǒ huì mǎi yīgè xīn de.)

• "If this computer is broken, then it’s broken. I will buy a new one." Or, "It doesn't matter that this computer is broken. I'll buy a new one."

You just studied 11 of the most common patterns using the word 就. In future posts, we will discuss other variations of 就.

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