Introduction
就 (jiù) after a time word says the speaker finds that time early. 他六点就来了。(Tā liù diǎn jiù lái le.) — He came at six — and six is earlier than I expected. The facts do not change; 就 adds the judgement.
Overview
Structure: Subj. + Time + 就 (jiù) + Verb (+ 了 (le))
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Subj + Time + 就 + V + 了 | 他六点就来了。(Tā liù diǎn jiù lái le.) | He came as early as six. |
| Subj + 就 + V（immediacy） | 我就来。(Wǒ jiù lái.) | I'm coming right now. |
| V1 + 完 + 就 + V2 | 我吃完就走。(Wǒ chī wán jiù zǒu.) | I'll leave the moment I finish eating. |
| Subj + Time + 才 + V | 他八点才来。(Tā bā diǎn cái lái.) | He didn't come until eight. |
| 就是（emphasis） | 就是这个。(Jiù shì zhège.) | This is the one. |
就 (jiù) is early; 才 (cái) is late — the clock is the same either way:
- 他六点就来了。(Tā liù diǎn jiù lái le.) — He was here by six. That's early.
- 他八点才来。(Tā bā diǎn cái lái.) — He didn't turn up until eight. That's late.
- Note the 了 (le): 就 takes it, 才 usually does not.
- Both go after the time word and before the verb: ✓ 六点就来 (liù diǎn jiù lái) ❌ 就六点来 (jiù liù diǎn lái).
Examples
他六点就来了。
Tā liù diǎn jiù lái le.
He got here as early as six.
我十分钟就写完了。
Wǒ shí fēnzhōng jiù xiě wán le.
I finished writing it in ten minutes flat.
我吃完饭就走。
Wǒ chī wán fàn jiù zǒu.
I'll leave as soon as I've eaten.
你等一下，我就来。
Nǐ děng yíxià, wǒ jiù lái.
Hang on, I'll be right there.
他学了一年就会说中文了。
Tā xué le yì nián jiù huì shuō Zhōngwén le.
After only a year he could speak Chinese.
他八点才来，我们都等了两个小时。
Tā bā diǎn cái lái, wǒmen dōu děng le liǎng ge xiǎoshí.
He didn't come till eight; we'd all waited two hours.
Usage Notes
- 就 (jiù) is an adverb, so it sits before the verb. The time word comes before 就 (jiù), not after.
- The sentence usually ends in 了 (le) when the event has happened: 他六点就来了。(Tā liù diǎn jiù lái le.)
- 就 (jiù) also links two actions in sequence — the second follows the first at once: 我吃完就走。(Wǒ chī wán jiù zǒu.)
- On its own before a verb, 就 (jiù) means "right away": 我就去。(Wǒ jiù qù.) — I'm going right now.
- 就 (jiù) is 4th tone, so 不 in front of it becomes bú: 不就 is bú jiù, though the combination is rare at this level.