Chinese Grammar Bank

HOW TO USE 只 IN CHINESE

In Chinese, 只 (zhǐ) is a handy word that translates as “only” or “just,” and is commonly used to express limitation.

This lesson expands on different ways to use 只, with additional examples and explanations.

BASIC STRUCTURE OF 只

In this structure, 只 comes before the verb to indicate a limitation in the action or situation.

PATTERN

Subject + 只 + Verb + Object

Here are some examples:

ChinesePinyinEnglish
我只吃了一个苹果。Wǒ zhǐ chīle yī gè píngguǒ.I only ate one apple.
他只会说汉语。Tā zhǐ huì shuō Hànyǔ.He can only speak Chinese.
他们只看了半个小时的电影。Tāmen zhǐ kànle bàn gè xiǎoshí de diànyǐng.They only watched the movie for half an hour.
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今天我只带了两本书。Jīntiān wǒ zhǐ dàile liǎng běn shū.Today I only brought two books.
小王只喝茶，不喝咖啡。Xiǎo Wáng zhǐ hē chá, bù hē kāfēi.Xiao Wang only drinks tea, not coffee.
她只喜欢春天。Tā zhǐ xǐhuān chūntiān.She only likes spring.

HOW TO USE 只能

只能
zhǐ néng
Have no choice but to

只能” (zhǐ néng) in Mandarin Chinese, meaning “have no choice but to”, or  “can only”, or “have to.”

It’s used to express that only one possible option or solution exists. 

我今天太忙了，只能明天去。Wǒ jīntiān tài máng le, zhǐ néng míngtiān qù.I’m too busy today, so I can only go tomorrow.
他生病了，只能在家休息。Tā shēngbìng le, zhǐ néng zài jiā xiūxi.He was ill and had to rest at home.
因为交通堵塞，我们只能步行去公司。Yīnwèi jiāotōng dǔsè, wǒmen zhǐ néng bùxíng qù gōngsī.Because of the traffic jam, we had to walk to the company.
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手机没电了，我只能找地方充电。Shǒujī méi diàn le, wǒ zhǐ néng zhǎo dìfāng chōngdiàn.My phone is out of battery, so I had to find a place to charge it.
雨太大了，我们只能取消活动。Yǔ tài dà le, wǒmen zhǐ néng qǔxiāo huódòng.The rain is too heavy, so we have no choice but to cancel the event.
现在已经很晚了，我们只能明天继续讨论。Xiànzài yǐjīng hěn wǎn le, wǒmen zhǐ néng míngtiān jìxù tǎolùn.It’s already very late, we can only continue the discussion tomorrow.

HOW TO USE 只有

只有
zhǐ yǒu
Only Have； Only when/Only if

只 + 有 (zhǐ yǒu) means “only have” as 只 means “only” and 有 means “have”.

But it also can mean “only when” or “only if”.  It emphasises that something is limited to a single requirement or condition.

“Only have” (limitation in possession or availability)
“Only when” (limitation in conditions or requirements)

Let’s see some examples in each case.

PATTERN

只有 + Noun

= “Only Have something”

When used to express “only have”, it refers to the limitation in the quantity or availability of something. This meaning is literal and involves the possession or existence of something.

PATTERN

Subject + 只有 + Noun

我只有两块钱。Wǒ zhǐ yǒu liǎng kuài qián.I only have two yuan.
他家里只有一只狗。Tā jiālǐ zhǐ yǒu yī zhī gǒu.His family only has one dog.
我们的班级只有十个学生。Wǒmen de bānjí zhǐ yǒu shí gè xuéshēng.Our class only has ten students.
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他只有一本书。Tā zhǐ yǒu yī běn shū.He only has one book.
我只有一双鞋。Wǒ zhǐ yǒu yī shuāng xié.I only have one pair of shoes.
我们只有一间房可以住。Wǒmen zhǐ yǒu yī jiān fáng kěyǐ zhù.We only have one room to live in.

只有 FOR CONDITIONS

When this structure is used it means “only when”, it expresses a condition that must be met for something to happen. It limits the circumstances or conditions.

PATTERN

只有 + Condition + 才 + Result

只有你来了，比赛才开始。Zhǐ yǒu nǐ lái le, bǐsài cái kāishǐ.The match will only start when you come.
只有他努力，才能通过考试。Zhǐ yǒu tā nǔlì, cái néng tōngguò kǎoshì.Only when he works hard can he pass the exam.
只有我完成了工作，我才能去度假。Zhǐ yǒu wǒ wánchéng le gōngzuò, wǒ cái néng qù dùjià.I can go on vacation only when I finish my work.
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只有我们提前准备，才能顺利完成任务。Zhǐ yǒu wǒmen tíqián zhǔnbèi, cái néng shùnlì wánchéng rènwù.Only when we prepare in advance can we complete the task smoothly.
只有你按时到达，我们才会开始开会。Zhǐ yǒu nǐ ànshí dàodá, wǒmen cái huì kāishǐ kāihuì.The meeting will only start when you arrive on time.
只有天气好，我们才会去公园散步。Zhǐ yǒu tiānqì hǎo, wǒmen cái huì qù gōngyuán sànbù.We will only go for a walk in the park when the weather is good.

只要 & 只想

只要
zhǐ yào

只想
zhǐ xiǎng

Finally, let’s go through two more important ways of using “只”: “只要” (zhǐ yào) and “只想” (zhǐ xiǎng).

只要 (zhǐ yào): “As long as” or “Only need”

只要 is used to indicate that a certain condition or requirement must be met for something else to happen. It often translates as “as long as” or “only need” in English.

This phrase is crucial in expressing relationships between conditions and results.

PATTERN #1

只要 + Condition + 就 + Result

This structure expresses that as long as the condition is met, the result will follow.

只要你努力，就能成功。Zhǐ yào nǐ nǔlì, jiù néng chénggōng.As long as you work hard, you can succeed.
只要他同意，我们就能开始。Zhǐ yào tā tóngyì, wǒmen jiù néng kāishǐ.As long as he agrees, we can start.
只要天气好，我们就去爬山。Zhǐ yào tiānqì hǎo, wǒmen jiù qù páshān.As long as the weather is good, we’ll go hiking.
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只要我完成了工作，我才能去度假。Zhǐ yào wǒ wánchéng le gōngzuò, wǒ cái néng qù dùjià.I can go on vacation only if I finish my work.
只要我们提前准备，任务就能顺利完成。Zhǐ yào wǒmen tíqián zhǔnbèi, rènwù jiù néng shùnlì wánchéng.As long as we prepare in advance, the task will be completed smoothly.
只要你按时到达，我们就会准时开会。Zhǐ yào nǐ ànshí dàodá, wǒmen jiù huì zhǔnshí kāihuì.The meeting will start on time as long as you arrive on time.
PATTERN #2

只要 + Noun

“只要“ could be a short form of “只想要“, equivalent to “只想“which means “only want“； or the short form for “只需要”， which is “only need”.

If the speaker used “只要“, we can assume is one of the two options above.

我只要这个。Wǒ zhǐ yào zhège.I only want this.
她说她只要一杯水。Tā shuō tā zhǐ yào yī bēi shuǐ.She said she only wants a glass of water.
他只要一辆车去机场。
只要一块钱。		Tā zhǐ yào yī liàng chē qù jīchǎng.
zhī yào yī kuài qián		He only needs a car to go to the airport.
Only takes one kuai.

 只想 (zhǐ xiǎng): “Only want to”

只想 is used to express a person’s desire or intention, meaning that they only have one wish or preference.

It is similar to the English phrase “only want to” and typically refers to actions or choices.

PATTERN

Subject + 只想 + Verb/Action

This structure expresses a single, focused desire for something (an action).

我今天只想休息，不想做别的。Wǒ jīntiān zhǐ xiǎng xiūxi, bù xiǎng zuò bié de.I only want to rest today, and don’t want to do anything else.
他只想吃面条，不想吃米饭。Tā zhǐ xiǎng chī miàntiáo, bù xiǎng chī mǐfàn.He only wants to eat noodles, not rice.
我们只想安静地度假。Wǒmen zhǐ xiǎng ānjìng de dùjià.We only want a quiet vacation.
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我只想跟你聊聊，不做别的事。Wǒ zhǐ xiǎng gēn nǐ liáoliáo, bù zuò bié de shì.I only want to chat with you, nothing else.
她只想安静地看书。Tā zhǐ xiǎng ānjìng de kàn shū.She only wants to read quietly.
我只想喝水，不想喝茶。Wǒ zhǐ xiǎng hē shuǐ, bù xiǎng hē chá.I only want to drink water, not tea.

SUMMARY

• Basic structure of using “只”: Subject + 只 + Verb + Object

• ”只能“: “have no choice but to”

• 只有 + Noun means “Only Have something”, it refers to the limitation in the quantity or availability of something.

• 只有 + Condition (A) + 才 + Result (B) means “only when A, B”. It expresses a condition that must be met for something to happen. 

• 只要 + Condition + 就 + Result. This structure expresses that as long as the condition is met, the result will follow.

• 只要 + Noun. “只要“ could be a short form of “只想要“, equivalent to “只想“which means “only want“； or the short form for “只需要”， which is “only need”. If the speaker used “只要“, we can assume is one of the two options above.

• Subject + 只想 + Verb/Action. This structure expresses a single, focused desire for something (an action).

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FAQs

What is the main use of 只 in Chinese?

只 is commonly used to mean “only” or “just,” indicating limitations or restrictions on quantity or scope.

Can 只 be used with both nouns and verbs?

Yes, 只 can modify nouns (e.g., 只一个苹果, “only one apple”) as well as verbs (e.g., 只吃素食, “only eat vegetarian”).

What difference between 只 and 光 or 仅?

While 只 is widely used for restrictions, 光 emphasizes “merely,” and 仅 is more formal, often used in written contexts to mean “just” or “merely.”

Can 只 appear at the beginning of a sentence?

Yes, 只 can start a sentence to emphasize a limitation, such as 只要努力 (“Only need to work hard”).

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