Meaning of 只要
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- so long as; provided; if
How to use 只要
只要 introduces a sufficient condition and is usually paired with 就 (jiù) in the second clause. It sets a low bar: this one thing is enough. Example: 只要你努力，就能学好中文。 (Zhǐyào nǐ nǔlì, jiù néng xuéhǎo Zhōngwén.) As long as you work hard, you can learn Chinese well.
只 (zhǐ) means only and 要 (yào) means to need, so 只要 is "only need": the only thing needed is this one condition. If you only need X, then the result follows.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 只要 with 只有 (zhǐyǒu). 只要...就 means "this condition is enough," while 只有...才 (cái) means "only this condition works." Do not pair 只要 with 才.
只要 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
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
要 yào · to want · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 只要.
| 重要 | zhòngyào | important; significant; major |
| 不要 | bùyào | don't!; must not |
| 就要 | jiùyào | will; shall |
| 只能 | zhǐ néng | can only; obliged to do sth |
| 要求 | yāoqiú | to request; to require |
| 主要 | zhǔyào | main; principal; major; primary |
| 快要 | kuàiyào | nearly at the point of (doing sth); about to (do sth) |
| 只是 | zhǐshì | merely; only; just; nothing but; simply |
| 需要 | xūyào | to need; to want; to demand; to require; needs |
| 只有 | zhǐyǒu | only have ...; there is only ...; (used in combination with 才[cai2]) it is only if ... (th |
| 要是 | yàoshi | (coll.) if |
| 必要 | bìyào | necessary; essential |
Questions about 只要
What does 只要 mean?
只要 (zhǐyào) means "so long as; provided; if" and is used as a conjunction.
How do you write 只要?
只要 is made of 2 characters: 只 (5 strokes), 要 (9 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 只要 an HSK word?
Yes. 只要 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Can 只要 come in the second half of a sentence?
Yes. You can put the result first and add the condition after it, for example 我们可以去，只要不下雨。 (Wǒmen kěyǐ qù, zhǐyào bù xià yǔ.) We can go, as long as it doesn't rain. In this order 就 is usually dropped.
Is 只要 the same as 如果 (rúguǒ)?
Not exactly. 如果 is a neutral "if," while 只要 stresses that the condition is enough to guarantee the result. 只要 often sounds encouraging or reassuring.