只 (zhī): classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc
只 (zhī) is a Chinese character meaning “classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 口 (structural) and 八 (structural). It ranks #97 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 只 simple words 八 coming from the mouth 口. Its radical form 口 (mouth) appears in many related characters such as 口 (kǒu, mouth), 叫 (jiào, to call, to be called), 右 (yòu, (bound form) right).
Definitions
- classifier for birds and certain animals, one of a pair, some utensils, vessels etc
Etymology & Origin
ideographicSimple words 八 coming from the mouth 口
Decomposition: ⿱口八 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 只 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 只
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 只是adverb/conjunction | zhǐ shì | merely | 3 |
| 只要conjunction | zhǐ yào | so long as | 3 |
| 只有conjunction | zhǐ yǒu | only have ... | 3 |
| 只能adverb | zhǐ néng | can only | 3 |
| 只好adverb | zhǐ hǎo | to have no other option but to ... | 4 |
| 船只noun | chuán zhī | ship | 6 |
| 只顾adverb | zhǐ gù | to focus solely on | 6 |
| 只得adverb | zhǐ dé | to have no alternative but to | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 只不过conjunction | zhǐ bu guò | only |
| 不只conjunction | bù zhǐ | not only |
| 只管adverb | zhǐ guǎn | solely engrossed in one thing |
| 只怕adverb | zhǐ pà | I'm afraid that... |
| 只身adverb | zhī shēn | alone |
| 只字不提phrase | zhī zì bù tí | (idiom) to say not a single word about it |
| 形单影只phrase | xíng dān yǐng zhī | (idiom) lonely soul |
| 只见verb | zhǐ jiàn | to see (the same thing) over and over again |
| 只言片语noun | zhī yán piàn yǔ | (idiom) just a word or two |
| 只说不做phrase | zhǐ shuō bù zuò | to be all talk and no action |
| 舰只noun | jiàn zhī | warship |
| 大只adjective | dà zhī | big |
| 只当 | zhǐ dàng | (coll.) to take (sth) as … |
| 三只手noun | sān zhī shǒu | pickpocket |
| 只消adverb | zhǐ xiāo | to only need |
只 appears in 53 compound words: 55 as the first character, 15 as the last, and 30 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 只 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (12)
lit. a chicken and a bottle of wine (idiom); fig. ready to make an offering to the deceased, or to entertain guests
all we need is an east wind (idiom); lacking only one tiny crucial item
lit. a chicken and a bottle of wine (idiom); fig. ready to make an offering to the deceased, or to entertain guests
all we need is an east wind (idiom); lacking only one tiny crucial item
Example Sentences
我只带了一只行李箱，里面装的都是必需品。
Wǒ zhǐ dài le yī zhī xínglixiāng, lǐmiàn zhuāng de dōu shì bìxūpǐn.
I only brought one suitcase, and it's filled with necessities.
羡慕善于社交的同事,总是想改变自己?你只是没看见自己手握“内向者的王牌”
xiàn mù shàn yú shè jiāo de tóng shì , zǒng shì xiǎng gǎi biàn zì jǐ ? nǐ zhī shì méi kàn jiàn zì jǐ shǒu wò nèi xiàng zhě de wáng pái
Envy your sociable colleagues and always want to change yourself? You just don't see yourself holding the "trump card of an introvert"
落马洲5只狗疑中毒亡警方列“残酷对待动物”跟进
luò mǎ zhōu 5 zhī gǒu yí zhōng dú wáng jǐng fāng liè cán kù duì dài dòng wù gēn jìn
5 dogs in Lok Ma Chau were suspected of being poisoned and died, and the police listed "cruelty to animals" to follow up
新春走基层|货运列车检车员:迟来的团圆,只为让更多..
xīn chūn zǒu jī céng huò yùn liè chē jiǎn chē yuán : chí lái de tuán yuán , zhī wéi ràng gēng duō . .
Freight train inspector: belated reunion, just to let more:
不只是相信“相信的力量”——速滑团体追逐夺牌...
bù zhī shì xiāng xìn xiāng xìn de lì liáng sù huá tuán tī zhuī zhú duó pái . . .
More than just believing in "the power of believing" - speed skating team chases to win medals...
普通人也能开飞机回家过年了?飞2小时油费只要200..
pǔ tōng rén yě néng kāi fēi jī huí jiā guò nián le ? fēi xiǎo shí yóu fèi zhī yāo . .
Can ordinary people really fly home for the New Year? A two-hour flight costs just 200 yuan in fuel...
我能吃这只橙子吗？
Wǒ néng chī zhè zhī chéngzi ma?
Can I eat this orange?
你觉得你在美国每天只用一美元能生活吗？
Nǐ juéde nǐ zài Měiguó měitiān zhǐ yòng yī Měiyuán néng shēnghuó ma?
Do you think you can live on a dollar a day in America?
这房子里面有多少只猫？
Zhè fángzi lǐ miàn yǒu duōshao zhī māo?
How many cats are there in this house?
我们就不能只做朋友吗？
Wǒmen jiù bù néng zhǐ zuò péngyou ma?
Can't we just be friends?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 只 (zhī) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 只 have?
What is the radical of 只?
What are the components of 只?
What are common words containing 只?
What characters sound the same as 只 (zhī)?
Is 只 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 只 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.