There are a number of different ways to express
"only" in Chinese, but 只 (zhǐ) is the most basic one
you need to learn first. It's an adverb, so it
normally comes before verbs.
Structure
The adverb 只 (zhǐ) can come directly before a verb,
or before an auxiliary verb like
会 (huì) or 能 (néng).
只 + Verb
只 + 会 / 能 + Verb
Examples
- 我 只 有 一 个 哥哥。Wǒ zhǐ
yǒu yī gè gēge.I only have one older
brother.
- 我们 只 有 十块 钱。Wǒmen zhǐ
yǒu shí kuài qián.We only have ten
RMB.
- 我们 公司 只 有 两个员工。Wǒmen gōngsī
zhǐ yǒu liǎng gè yuángōng.Our
company only has two employees.
- 你 只 爱 吃 肉 吗?Nǐ zhǐ ài
chī ròu ma?Do you only like eating
meat?
- 他们 只 会 说 英文。Tāmen zhǐ
huì shuō Yīngwén.They can only speak
English.
- 我 只 能 说 两 句 中文。Wǒ
zhǐ néng shuō liǎng jù
Zhōngwén.I can only say two sentences in
Chinese.
- 你们 只 要 咖啡 吗?Nǐmen zhǐ
yào kāfēi ma? Do you only want
coffee?
- 我 老婆 只 要 一个 孩子。Wǒ lǎopo
zhǐ yào yī gè háizi.My wife only
wants one child.
- 宝宝 只 会 走,不 会 跑。Bǎobao
zhǐ huì zǒu, bù huì pǎo.The baby
can only walk. He can't run.
- 我 只 想 跟 你 在 一起。Wǒ
zhǐ xiǎng gēn nǐ zài yīqǐ.I only
want to be with you.
See Also
- ["Just" with "jiu"]("Just"with"jiu" "wikilink")
Sources and further reading
Books
Category:A2 grammar points
Category: Adverbs