Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar

expressing the relationship ‘after’ in a single sentence

42.2

The following two sentences, one with 就 jiù and the other with 以后/以後 yǐhòu, are

equivalent in meaning. Compare them to the sentence above in which 就 jiù and 以后/以後

yǐhòu both occur.

我学了中国历史就想去中国。

我學了中國歷史就想去中國。

Wǒ xué le Zhōngguó lìshǐ jiù xiǎng qù Zhōngguó.

After I studied Chinese history I wanted to go to China.

我学了中国历史以后想去中国。

我學了中國歷史以後想去中國。

Wǒ xué le Zhōngguó lìshǐ yǐhòu xiǎng qù Zhōngguó.

After I studied Chinese history I wanted to go to China.

C15.2.4

42.2.2.2 indicating that one event happens ‘only after’ another event:
sequence with the adverb 才 cái
To indicate that some event happens ‘only after’ another event, use the adverb 才 cái before
the second verb of a sequence. 才 cái can occur with 以后/以後 yǐhòu and 了 le. 才 cái and
就 jiù cannot both occur before the same verb.

她在中国住了两年才会说中国话。

她在中國住了兩年才會說中國話。

Tā zài Zhōngguó zhù le liǎng nián cái huì shuō Zhōngguó huà.

She lived in China for two years and only then was able to speak Chinese.

(After she lived in China for two years, only then was she able to speak Chinese.)

你长大了以后才懂这种事情。

你長大了以後才懂這種事情。

Nǐ zhǎng dà le yǐhòu cái dǒng zhè zhǒng shìqing.

After you grow up, only then will you understand this kind of situation.

C15.2.6

Pay attention to the difference between the adverbs 才 cái and 就 jiù in the following sentences.

Since 就 jiù indicates simple sequence, it is used much more frequently than 才 cái. For many

speakers of Mandarin, a verb phrase with 才 cái cannot include 了 le.

就 jiù 才 cái

他吃了药就好了。 他吃了药才好(了)。

他吃了藥就好了。 他吃了藥才好(了)。

Tā chī le yào jiù hǎo le. Tā chī le yào cái hǎo (le).

After he ate the medicine, he recovered. Only after he ate the medicine did he recover.

(He ate the medicine and only then recovered.)

就 jiù 才 cái

他开了空调就舒服了。 他开了空调才舒服。

他開了空調就舒服了。 他開了空調才舒服。

Tā kāi le kōngtiáo jiù shūfu le. Tā kāi le kōngtiáo cái shūfu.

After he turned on the air conditioner,

he was comfortable.

Only after he turned on the air conditioner

was he comfortable.

(He turned on the air conditioner and only

then was comfortable.)

C37.2