jiù

Expressing "then" with "jiu"

就 links a consequence to what came before — "then, in that case".

Condition, + Subj. + 就 + Verb Phrase

How it works

我们现在有时间,就去吧 — we have time now, so let's go. The 就 sits before the verb of the second clause.

It's the workhorse connector of spoken Chinese, and it pairs with almost every conditional: 如果…就…, 只要…就…, 要是…就….

就 always goes after the subject, never at the start of the clause.

Examples

  • wǒ men xiàn zài yǒu shí jiān, jiù qù ba

    我们现在有时间,就去吧。

    We've got time now, so let's go.

  • nǐ bù xiǎng qù, jiù bié qù

    你不想去,就别去。

    If you don't want to go, then don't.

  • chī wán fàn wǒ men jiù zǒu

    吃完饭我们就走。

    We'll leave as soon as we've eaten.