Skip to content

只要zhǐ yàoso long as

HSK 3word

By Chinese Copilot · Last updated

只要 (zhǐ yào) means "so long as" or "provided," as in 只要你来,我就很高兴 (So long as you come, I'll be happy), 只要有时间,我就去 (Provided I have time, I'll go) and 只要你努力,就能学好 (So long as you work hard, you can learn it well).

What does 只要 mean?

  1. 1.

    so long asconjunction

  2. 2.

    providedconjunction

What do the characters in 只要 mean?

  • 只only; merely; just
  • 要if

How do you use 只要?

See it in 只要你来,我就很高兴, 只要有时间,我就去 and 只要你努力,就能学好.

What are some examples of 只要 in a sentence?

  1. 只要你来,我就很高兴。

    Zhǐyào nǐ lái, wǒ jiù hěn gāoxìng.

    So long as you come, I'll be happy.

  2. 只要有时间,我就去。

    Zhǐyào yǒu shíjiān, wǒ jiù qù.

    Provided I have time, I'll go.

  3. 只要你努力,就能学好。

    Zhǐyào nǐ nǔlì, jiù néng xuéhǎo.

    So long as you work hard, you can learn it well.

How is 只要 used in a conversation?

  1. Speaker A:

    明天你去吗?

    Míngtiān nǐ qù ma?

    Are you going tomorrow?

  2. Speaker B:

    只要有时间,我就去。

    Zhǐyào yǒu shíjiān, wǒ jiù qù.

    Provided I have time, I'll go.

  3. Speaker A:

    我也想去。

    Wǒ yě xiǎng qù.

    I want to go too.

  4. Speaker B:

    只要你来,我就很高兴。

    Zhǐyào nǐ lái, wǒ jiù hěn gāoxìng.

    So long as you come, I'll be happy.

Can you use 只要 correctly?

0 of 3 answered
  1. 1.Fill in the blank: ___有时间,我就去。 (Provided I have time, I'll go.)
  2. 2.What does 只要你来,我就很高兴。 mean?
  3. 3.Fill in the blank: ___你努力,就能学好。 (So long as you work hard, you can learn it well.)

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.