只要⋯⋯就⋯⋯

zhǐ yào …… jiù ……

Expressing "as long as" with "zhiyao"

只要…就… gives a sufficient condition — that's all it takes.

只要 + Condition,就 + Result

How it works

只要你过来,我们就很开心 — as long as you come, we're happy. Nothing more is required.

Contrast with 只有…才…, which gives a necessary condition: nothing else will do.

The 就 in the second clause is obligatory.

Examples

  • zhǐ yào nǐ guò lái, wǒ men jiù hěn kāi xīn

    只要你过来,我们就很开心。

    As long as you come, we'll be happy.

  • zhǐ yào nǔ lì, jiù yí dìng néng chéng gōng

    只要努力,就一定能成功。

    As long as you work hard, you're bound to succeed.

  • zhǐ yào bú xià yǔ, wǒ men jiù qù

    只要不下雨,我们就去。

    As long as it doesn't rain, we'll go.