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只有zhǐ yǒuonly have ...; there is only ...

HSK 3word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

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. 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?

  1. 我只有一个哥哥。

    Wǒ zhǐyǒu yí ge gēge.

    I have only one older brother.

  2. 教室里只有三个学生。

    Jiàoshì li zhǐyǒu sān ge xuésheng.

    There are only three students in the classroom.

How is 只有 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    我们去吃饭吧。

    Wǒmen qù chī fàn ba.

    Let's go eat.

  2. 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.

  3. Speaker A:

    没关系,我有钱。

    Méiguānxi, wǒ yǒu qián.

    No problem, I have money.

  4. Speaker B:

    谢谢你!

    Xièxie nǐ!

    Thank you!

Can you use 只有 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank: 我___一个哥哥。 (I have only one older brother.)
  2. 2.What does 教室里只有三个学生。 mean?
  3. 3.Fill in the blank: 好啊,可是我___十块钱。 (Sure, but I only have ten yuan.)

What should you learn next?

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.