就 jiù — at once; then; right away; only; (emphasis); to approach
你休息一下，我马上就回来。Nǐ xiū xi yí xià, wǒ mǎ shàng jiù huí lái.Take a rest; I'll be right back.
Common words: 就要 (jiù yào)、早就 (zǎo jiù)、就是 (jiù shì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "then"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "then", including 就 (jiù), 已 (yǐ), 才 (cái), 便 (biàn), 继 (jì), 乃 (nǎi). Study pinyin, English meanings…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "then" covers 6 different Chinese characters — 就 (jiù), 已 (yǐ), 才 (cái), 便 (biàn), 继 (jì), 乃 (nǎi) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 6 characters do not share a sound — their readings span jiù, yǐ, cái, biàn, jì, nǎi — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 就 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 就 jiùat once; then; right away; only; (emphasis); to approachUseful words: 就要, 早就
- 已 yǐalready; to stop; then; afterwardsUseful words: 已经, 早已
- 才 cáiability; talent; endowment; gift; an expert; only (then)Useful words: 刚才, 人才
- 便 biànordinary; plain; convenient; handy; easy; thenUseful words: 便宜, 方便
- 继 jìto continue; to follow after; then; afterwards; to go on with; to succeedUseful words: 继续, 继承
Common words for these 6 "then" characters
Anchor each of these 6 characters in a word you can picture — start with 就 (jiù) — so "then" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
就要jiù yàowill; shall; to be going to早就zǎo jiùalready at an earlier time就是jiù shìexactly; precisely; only; simply已经yǐ jīngalready早已zǎo yǐfor a long time; long since; (dialect) in the past而已ér yǐthat's all; nothing more刚才gāng cáijust now; a moment ago人才rén cáitalent; talented person; looks; attractive looks才能cái néngtalent; ability; capacity便宜biàn yíconvenient
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 6 ways to say "then".
已 yǐ — already; to stop; then; afterwards
时间已经不早了。Shí jiān yǐ jīng bù zǎo le.It is already getting late.
Common words: 已经 (yǐ jīng)、早已 (zǎo yǐ)、而已 (ér yǐ)
才 cái — ability; talent; endowment; gift; an expert; only (then)
他努力学习，才考出了好成绩。Tā nǔ lì xué xí, cái kǎo chū le hǎo chéng jì.He studied hard, and only then got good grades.
Common words: 刚才 (gāng cái)、人才 (rén cái)、才能 (cái néng)
便 biàn — ordinary; plain; convenient; handy; easy; then
这里交通很方便。Zhè lǐ jiāo tōng hěn fāng biàn.The transportation here is very convenient.
Common words: 便宜 (biàn yí)、方便 (fāng biàn)、随便 (suí biàn)
继 jì — to continue; to follow after; then; afterwards; to go on with; to succeed
弟弟继承了爸爸画画的爱好。Dì di jì chéng le bà ba huà huà de ài hào.My younger brother inherited his fathers hobby of painting.
Common words: 继续 (jì xù)、继承 (jì chéng)、继往开来 (jì wǎng kāi lái)
乃 nǎi — to be; thus; so; therefore; then; only
失败乃成功之母。Shī bài nǎi chéng gōng zhī mǔ.Failure is the mother of success.
Common words: 乃至 (nǎi zhì)、乃是 (nǎi shì)、乃尔 (nǎi ěr)
All 6 characters
Open 就、已、才 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.