Chinese Conversation · Level 51
90 words
Chinese word
只要
Pronunciation
Pinyinzhǐ yào
Meaning
- conjunctionas long as
Example
只要努力，你就会成功。zhǐ yào nǔ lì nǐ jiù huì chéng gōng
As long as you work hard, you will succeed.
More examples
只要有耐心，孩子就会慢慢学会说话。zhǐ yào yǒu nài xīn hái zi jiù huì màn màn xué huì shuō huà
As long as there is patience, children will slowly learn to speak.
Core concept
A single requirement acts like a key that makes the next result possible.
Common phrases
只要...就...zhǐ yào jiù
as long as ___, ___
只要就可以zhǐ yào jiù ké yǐ
if ___, ___ can be done
只要有耐心zhǐ yào yǒu nài xīn
as long as there is patience
Similar words
如果rú guǒ: Sets up a condition and describes the result if that condition is met.
Definition in Chinese
作为连词，用来引出足够条件，表示只要某个条件成立，所述结果就会发生，可与否定、时间副词等搭配使用。zuò wéi lián cí yòng lái yǐn chū zú gòu tiáo jiàn biǎo shì zhǐ yào mǒu gè tiáo jiàn chéng lì suǒ shù jié guǒ jiù huì fā shēng kě yǔ fǒu dìng shí jiān fù cí děng dā pèi shǐ yòng
Word origin
只 (zhǐ, "only") contributes the idea of limitation and 要 (yào, "need") contributes the idea of necessity, forming a conjunction for a requirement that is enough on its own.
Usage tips
- This word can introduce a time or situation as well as an action, so the first part of a sentence is not always something a person does.
Other meanings
- only need toconjunction