只有zhǐ yǒuonly have ...; there is only ...
只有 (zhǐ yǒu) means "only have ...; there is only ...." It appears in 我只有一个哥哥。 (I have only one older brother.) and 教室里只有三个学生。 (There are only three students in the classroom.) It combines 只 (only; merely; just) and 有 (to have; there is). Invited to eat, a friend admits 好啊,可是我只有十块钱。 (Sure, but I only have ten yuan.)
What does 只有 mean?
- 1.
only have ...; there is only ...verb
What do the characters in 只有 mean?
- 只only; merely; just
- 有to have; there is
How do you use 只有?
See it in 我只有一个哥哥 and 教室里只有三个学生
What are some examples of 只有 in a sentence?
How is 只有 used in a conversation?
- Speaker A:
我们去吃饭吧。
Wǒmen qù chī fàn ba.
Let's go eat.
- Speaker B:
好啊,可是我只有十块钱。
Hǎo a, kěshì wǒ zhǐyǒu shí kuài qián.
Sure, but I only have ten yuan.
- Speaker A:
没关系,我有钱。
Méiguānxi, wǒ yǒu qián.
No problem, I have money.
- Speaker B:
谢谢你!
Xièxie nǐ!
Thank you!
Can you use 只有 correctly?
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- Free HSK 3 level testSee which HSK 3.0 level your vocabulary matches.
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- HSK 3.0 guideHow the nine levels and three bands work.
Related words
- 只能zhǐ néngcan onlyHSK 3
- 有关yǒu guānto have sth to do with; to relate to; related toHSK 3
- 只是zhǐ shìmerely; only; justHSK 3
- 只要zhǐ yàoso long asHSK 3
- 所有suǒ yǒuallHSK 4
- 有意思yǒu yì siinterestingHSK 2
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English glosses on this page are adapted from CC-CEDICT, published by MDBG (snapshot 2026-10-23), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Glosses were edited for learners.