Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
才 and 就: later or earlier than expected
Original Chinese study material with English explanations. Simplified Chinese with pinyin; beginner, intermediate and advanced are editorial difficulty labels.
With a time expression, 才 (cái) can suggest that an event happened late, while 就 (jiù) can suggest it happened early or readily. Both words have additional uses.
他九点才到。
Tā jiǔ diǎn cái dào.
He did not arrive until nine.
她七点就到了。
Tā qī diǎn jiù dào le.
She arrived as early as seven.
Do not translate every 就 as “just”. Only, then, precisely and other readings depend on the construction.
Try it
Which implies arrival was later than expected?
- 他十点才来。
- 他十点就来了。
- 他十点来吗？
Answer and explanation
他十点才来。. 才 frames ten o’clock as late in this context.