才 vs 就 (late vs early)
Six o'clock already? Or only nine?
- Two friends, same alarm — one is early, one is late.
- Chinese marks that gap with two tiny words: then / just就 and only then / not until才.
- They look harmless, but they flip the whole feeling of a time.
then / just就 = sooner than expected
- Time + then / just就 + Verb + (completed / change)了 — it happened earlier / more easily than you'd think.
he他six o'clock六点already就get up起床了。
- 六点then / just就to get out of bed起床(completed / change)了 = up at six — "so soon!" then / just就 keeps (completed / change)了.
Practice
He got up as early as six: 他六点 ____ 起床了。
就 marks earlier / easier than expected, and keeps 了: 六点就起床了.
Practice
Build: “He got up as early as six.”
Time + 就 + Verb + 了: 他六点 + 就 + 起床了.
only then / not until才 = later than expected
- Time + only then / not until才 + Verb — it happened later / with difficulty, and usually takes no (completed / change)了.
he他nine o'clock九点not until才get up起床。
- 九点only then / not until才to get out of bed起床 = not up until nine — "so late!"
Explore
Which word completes the sentence?
才 flags 'later/slower than expected'; 就 flags 'sooner/easier than expected'.
Practice
Which sentence says he got up LATE (later than expected)?
才 = later than expected (no 了); 就 = earlier than expected (+ 了).
Practice
才 usually takes 了 at the end, just like 就 does.
才 usually takes NO 了; 就 keeps 了.
Recap
Key idea
- then / just就 = earlier / easier than expected — keeps (completed / change)了
- only then / not until才 = later / harder than expected — usually no (completed / change)了
- Same clock, opposite feeling: 六点then / just就… vs 九点only then / not until才…
Read the full reference: HSK 3 grammar — Comparing adverbs.