How to say “only after” with 才 (cái) in Chinese
Condition, + 才 (cái) + Result
才 (cái) — only after, not until
Condition, + 才 (cái) + Result
HSK 3Conditional Statements才 (cái) — only after, not until
Rule structure
只有 (zhǐyǒu)/必须 (bìxū)… 才 (cái)… means "only after/if… then…" and sets a necessary condition.
Rule structure
只有 (zhǐyǒu)/必须 (bìxū)… 才 (cái)… means "only after/if… then…" and sets a necessary condition.
Examples
只有你道歉，我才原谅你。
Zhǐyǒu nǐ dàoqiàn, wǒ cái yuánliàng nǐ.
Only if you apologize will I forgive you.
Examples
只有你道歉，我才原谅你。
Zhǐyǒu nǐ dàoqiàn, wǒ cái yuánliàng nǐ.
Only if you apologize will I forgive you.
Build the sentence
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Frequently asked questions
How do you say “only after, not until” in Chinese with 才?
Use the structure: Condition, + 才 (cái) + Result. For example: 只有你道歉，我才原谅你。 — “Only if you apologize will I forgive you.”.
What is an example sentence with this grammar rule?
只有你道歉，我才原谅你。 — “Only if you apologize will I forgive you.”.
Which HSK level includes this grammar rule?
This grammar rule is part of HSK 3.
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More HSK 3 grammar rules
只有 — only if
只有 (zhǐyǒu) + Condition, 才 (cái) + Result
只要 — as long as
只要 (zhǐyào) + Condition, 就 (jiù) + Result
一边 — doing two things at once
一边 (yìbiān) + Verb 1, 一边 (yìbiān) + Verb 2
如果…就 — if… then…
如果 (rúguǒ)……，就 (jiù)……
万 — big numbers
Number + 万 (wàn) / 亿 (yì)
地 — turning adjectives into adverbs
Adj. + 地 (de) + Verb
AA — reduplicating adjectives
AA / AABB
想 — as one likes
想 (xiǎng) + Verb Phrase with Question Word + 就 (jiù) + Same Verb Phrase