As an adverb, 就 (jiù) can be placed before the predicate to add
emphasis. It often has an intense or provocative feel to it,
similar to "just," like how we sometimes say in English "it's
just not right!" This emphasis very often appears as
就是.
就是 Used as "is exactly"
Structure
就 frequently comes before the verb 是, and "就是" means "(is)
exactly".
Examples
- 那个 人 就 是 她 的 新 男朋友。Nàge rén
jiù shì tā de xīn nánpéngyou.That guy is her new boyfriend.
- 他 就 是 你 要 找 的 人 。Tā jiù
shì nǐ yào zhǎo de rén.He's just
the person that you're looking for.
- 我们 就 是 他 的 家人 。Wǒmen jiù
shì tā de jiārén.We're his
family.
- 你 就 是 个 笨蛋！Nǐ jiù shì gè
bèndàn!A moron is precisely what you
are!
- 他 就 是 那 个 骗子！Tā jiù shì
nàge piànzi!That conman is
him!
就是 as "Only Because"
就是 can be used to intensify the predicate to mean "only (because
of) that and nothing else." In this case, 是 can't be omitted. In
many cases, you could also add in an 因为, but it's not required.
Examples
- 他 不 去 旅游 就是 不 想 花钱 。 Tā bù qù
lǚyóu jiùshì bù xiǎng huāqián. He didn't travel only because he doesn't want to spend the
money.
- 你 不 参加 比赛 就是 怕 输 吗 ？ Nǐ bù cānjiā
bǐsài jiùshì pà shū ma? You're
not entering the competition just because you're afraid of
failure?
- 他 这样 说 就是 嫉妒 我 。 Tā zhèyàng shuō
jiùshì jídù wǒ. He said this
only because he envies me.
- 她 问 这么 多，就是 担心 你 。 She asked so
many questions only because she's worried about you.
- 她 就是 漂亮 ，没 别的 优势 。 Tā
jiùshì piàoliang, méi biéde yōushì.She's just pretty; she doesn't have any other
strengths.
就 Used with Other Verbs
In the examples above, 就 pairs exclusively with the verb 是. But
就 can also come before other verbs, with similar emphatic effect.
In these cases, it's also OK to use 就是 before the other verbs as
well.
Structure
就（是）+ Verb
就（是）+ 不 + Verb
Examples
- 我 就 要 去！Wǒ jiù yào
qù! I just want to go!
- 我 就是 喜欢 他。Wǒ jiù shì
xǐhuan tā.I just like him.
- 我 就 不 告诉 你 。Wǒ jiù bù
gàosu nǐ.I'm just not going to tell
you.
- 我 父母 就是 不 让 我 一个人 去 。 Wǒ fùmǔ
jiùshì bù ràng wǒ yīgèrén qù.My
parents simply won't let me go alone.
- 这个 学生 就是不 听 老师 的 话 。Zhège
xuéshēng jiù bù tīng lǎoshī de huà.The student just wouldn't listen to his
teacher.
As you may have noticed, many of these uses of 就 or 就是 carry a
flippant, stubborn tone, referred to as 任性 (rènxìng) in
Chinese.
See also
Sources and further
reading
Books
Dictionaries
Category:B1 grammar points