就 (jiù): (after a suppositional clause) in that case, then, (after a clause of action) as soon as, immediately after, (same as 就是) merely, nothing else but, simply, just, precisely, exactly
就 (jiù) is a Chinese character meaning “(after a suppositional clause) in that case.” Classified as HSK Level 2 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 京 (phonetic) and 尤 (semantic). It ranks #27 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 就 specialty. Its radical form 尢 (lame) appears in many related characters such as 尤 (yóu, outstanding), 尬 (gà, (bound form) embarrassing), 尴 (gān, used in 尷尬|尴尬).
Definitions
- (after a suppositional clause) in that case
- then
- (after a clause of action) as soon as
- immediately after
- (same as 就是) merely
- nothing else but
- simply
- just
- precisely
- exactly
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 就 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 就
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 就是particle/adverb/conjunction | jiù shì | exactly | 4 |
| 成就noun/verb | chéng jiù | accomplishment | 5 |
| 就算conjunction | jiù suàn | (coll.) even if | 6 |
| 就业verb | jiù yè | to get a job | 5 |
| 就读verb | jiù dú | to go to school | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 就要adverb | jiù yào | will |
| 早就adverb | zǎo jiù | already at an earlier time |
| 也就是说phrase | yě jiù shì shuō | in other words |
| 就绪verb | jiù xù | to be ready |
| 就此conjunction | jiù cǐ | at this point |
| 各就各位phrase | gè jiù gè wèi | (of the people in a group) to get into position (idiom) |
| 造就verb | zào jiù | to bring up |
| 就是说adverb | jiù shì shuō | in other words |
| 就职verb | jiù zhí | to take office |
| 就座verb | jiù zuò | to take a seat |
| 按部就班phrase | àn bù jiù bān | (idiom) to follow the prescribed order |
| 迁就verb | qiān jiù | to yield to |
| 就任verb | jiù rèn | to take office |
| 成就感noun | chéng jiù gǎn | sense of achievement |
| 就范verb | jiù fàn | to submit |
就 appears in 100 compound words: 42 as the first character, 22 as the last, and 36 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 就 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (27)
to do something in an orderly manner; to follow the prescribed order; to keep to the conventional ways
(idiom) stay clear of the enemy's main force and strike at his weak points
to not know the inside story; to be unfamiliar with the details of the situation
to not know the inside story; to be unfamiliar with the details of the situation
each person performs their respective role or goes to their own place; on your marks!; take your position!
synonym of 功成名遂 (gōngchéngmíngsuì, “merits accomplished and fame obtained”)
lit. to squeeze into every crack (idiom); fig. to make the most of every opportunity
to continue doing a thing that has been done incorrectly while adapting to the error made
to turn somebody's trick against him; to beat somebody at his own game
to do something in an orderly manner; to follow the prescribed order; to keep to the conventional ways
each person performs their respective role or goes to their own place; on your marks!; take your position!
synonym of 功成名遂 (gōngchéngmíngsuì, “merits accomplished and fame obtained”)
to continue doing a thing that has been done incorrectly while adapting to the error made
to turn somebody's trick against him; to beat somebody at his own game
Showing 12 of 27 idioms containing 就.
Example Sentences
他从小就对音乐有着浓厚的兴趣，现在已经成为一名专业音乐家了。
Tā cóngxiǎo jiù duì yīnyuè yǒuzhe nónghòu de xìngqù, xiànzài yǐjīng chéngwéi yī míng zhuānyè yīnyuèjiā le.
He has had a strong interest in music since childhood and is now a professional musician.
伊朗总统:伊朗愿就其核工业和平性质接受任何形式核查
yī lǎng zǒng tǒng yī lǎng yuàn jiù qí hé gōng yè hé píng xìng zhì jiē shòu rèn hé xíng shì hé chá
Iranian President: Iran is ready to accept any form of verification of the peaceful nature of its nuclear industry
新春纳福迎新,就来凯德虹口商业中心,福气好物一站式..
xīn chūn nà fú yíng xīn , jiù lái kǎi dé hóng kǒu shāng yè zhōng xīn , fú qì hǎo wù yī zhàn shì . .
Come to CapitaLand Hongkou Commercial Center for a one-stop shop for good fortune and good fortune....
年味里飘出就业香 海州乡土人才市集767个岗位引才....
nián wèi lǐ piāo chū jiù yè xiāng hǎi zhōu xiāng tǔ rén cái shì jí gě gāng wèi yǐn cái . . . .
The scent of employment wafts through the festive air Haizhou Local Talent Market offers 767 positions to attract talent....
青岛恒星科技学院:产教融合协同出海,绘就全球化新图..
qīng dǎo héng xīng kē jì xué yuàn chǎn jiào róng gě xié tóng chū hǎi , huì jiù quán qiú huā xīn tú . .
Qingdao Hengxing University of Science and Technology: Integrating Industry and Education for Collaborative Global Expansion, Charting a New Course for Globalization...
我们很快就到这儿了，不是吗？
Wǒmen hěn kuài jiù dào zhèr le, bù shì ma?
We arrived here fast, didn't we?
他很快就能痊愈吗？
Tā hěn kuài jiù néng quányù ma?
Will he get well soon?
那你就是不懂这句句子咯？
Nà nǐ jiùshì bù dǒng zhè jù jùzi gē?
So you don't understand this sentence?
你什么时候回来？那就全看天气了。
Nǐ shénmeshíhou huílai? nà jiù quán kàn tiānqì le.
"When are you coming back?" "That all depends on the weather."
Character Family
尢 Radical Family — Characters sharing the lame radical
Frequently Asked Questions
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What characters sound the same as 就 (jiù)?
Is 就 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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