只有 meaning in English
only have ...; there is only ...; (used in combination with 才[cai2]) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in 只有通過治療才能痊愈|只有通过治疗才能痊愈[zhi3 you3 tong1 guo4 zhi4 liao2 cai2 neng2 quan2 yu4] "the only way to cure it is with therapy")
Meaning of 只有
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- only have ...; there is only ...
- (used in combination with 才[cai2]) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in 只有通過治療才能痊愈|只有通过治疗才能痊愈[zhi3 you3 tong1 guo4 zhi4 liao2 cai2 neng2 quan2 yu4] "the only way to cure it is with therapy")
- it is only (someone) who ... (as in 只有男性才有此需要[zhi3 you3 nan2 xing4 cai2 you3 ci3 xu1 yao4] "only men would have such a requirement")
- (used to express lack of alternatives) can only; have no choice but to (as in 只有屈服[zhi3 you3 qu1 fu2] "the only thing you can do is give in")
How to use 只有
As a conjunction, 只有 sets up the one necessary condition and is usually paired with 才 (cái) in the second half. Example: 只有努力学习，才能考好。(Zhǐyǒu nǔlì xuéxí, cái néng kǎo hǎo.) Only by studying hard can you do well on the test. It can also mean have no choice but to, as in 只有屈服 (zhǐyǒu qūfú), the only thing you can do is give in.
只 (zhǐ) means only and 有 (yǒu) means to have, so 只有 is literally only have. Picture holding up one finger to say there is only this one condition or one choice.
Common mistake: Learners often pair 只有 with 就 (jiù) instead of 才 (cái). The pattern 只有...才... means only if, while 只要...就... (zhǐyào...jiù...) means as long as, so the two are not interchangeable.
只有 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
只 zhǐ · only · 5 strokes
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- 5
有 yǒu · to have · 6 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 只有.
| 没有 | méiyǒu | haven't; hasn't |
| 还有 | hái yǒu | there still remain(s); there is (or are) still; in addition |
| 有些 | yǒuxiē | some; somewhat; rather; a bit |
| 有时 | yǒushí | sometimes; now and then |
| 有时候 | yǒushíhou | sometimes |
| 有用 | yǒuyòng | useful |
| 有名 | yǒumíng | famous; well-known |
| 有的 | yǒude | (there are) some (who are...); some (exist) |
| 有一些 | yǒuyīxiē | somewhat; rather |
| 所有 | suǒyǒu | all; to have; to possess; to own |
| 有人 | yǒu rén | someone; people |
| 只要 | zhǐyào | so long as; provided; if |
Questions about 只有
What does 只有 mean?
只有 (zhǐyǒu) means "only have ...; there is only ...; (used in combination with 才[cai2]) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in 只有通過治療才能痊愈|只有通过治疗才能痊愈[zhi3 you3 tong1 guo4 zhi4 liao2 cai2 neng2 quan2 yu4] "the only way to cure it is with therapy")" and is used as a conjunction.
How do you write 只有?
只有 is made of 2 characters: 只 (5 strokes), 有 (6 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.
Is 只有 an HSK word?
Yes. 只有 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 只有 and 只要?
只有...才... names the only condition that works, so nothing else will do. 只要...就... names a condition that is enough, though other ways might also work. Compare 只有你去，他才高兴 (only if you go will he be happy) with 只要你去，他就高兴 (as long as you go, he will be happy).
Can 只有 be used without 才?
Yes. In its literal sense it just means there is only or only have, as in 我只有十块钱 (wǒ zhǐyǒu shí kuài qián), I only have ten yuan. It can also stand alone before a verb to mean have no choice but to.