Word: 才 (cái)

不知道他什么时候才回来。

Bù zhīdào tā shénme shíhou cái huílai.

I don't know when he'll come back.

为什么现在才到。

Wèishénme xiànzài cái dào.

Why have you only arrived now?

为什么现在才来？

Wèishénme xiànzài cái lái?

Why have you come only now?

什么时候才结束啊？

Shénme shíhou cái jiéshù a?

When will it end?

他们明天才会来。

Tāmen míngtiān cái huì lái.

They won't come until tomorrow.

他到了九点才回来。

Tā dàole jiǔ diǎn cái huílai.

He did not come back until nine o'clock.

他学了三个月才学会了骑自行车。

Tā xué le sān gè yuè cái xuéhuì le qí zìxíngchē.

It took him three months to learn to ride a bicycle.

他才从图书馆回来。

Tā cái cóng túshūguǎn huílai.

He just came back from the library.

他才来过一次。

Tā cái láiguo yícì.

He's only been here once before.

他明天才走。

Tā míngtiān cái zǒu.

He's not leaving until tomorrow.

他晚上很晚才回家。

Tā wǎnshang hěn wǎn cái huíjiā.

He came home late in the evening.

他晚了30分钟才到。

Tā wǎn le sānshí fēnzhōng cái dào.

He came 30 minutes late.

他老婆很有才。

Tā lǎopó hěn yǒu cái.

His wife is quite a talented woman.

你什么时候才会准备好出发？

Nǐ shénme shíhou cái huì zhǔnbèi hǎo chūfā?

When will you get ready to leave?

你做完作业才可以出去。

Nǐ zuò wán zuòyè cái kěyǐ chūqù.

You can't go out until you've finished your homework.

你应该高兴才是。

Nǐ yīnggāi gāoxìng cái shì.

You should be happy.

你怎么现在才来？

Nǐ zěnme xiànzài cái lái?

How come you've only just got here?

你才昨天谁来找我了？

Nǐ cái zuótiān shéi lái zhǎo wǒ le?

Who do you think came to see me yesterday?

你才是自己命运的主人。

Nǐ cái shì zìjǐ mìngyùn de zhǔrén.

You are the master of your own destiny.

你才笨呢！

Nǐ cái bèn ne!

Are you stupid or what?!

你走了他才来。

Nǐ zǒule tā cái lái.

He came after you left.

傻瓜才会那么干。

Shǎguā cái huì nàme gàn.

Only a fool would do something like that.

其实我才是杀你的狗的那一个。

Qíshí wǒ cái shì shā nǐ de gǒu de nà yí gè.

The truth is that I was the one who killed your dog.

到了那时，我才发现自己错了。

Dàole nàshí, wǒ cái fāxiàn zìjǐ cuòle.

It was not until then that I realized my mistake.

只有你才做得到。

Zhǐyǒu nǐ cái zuò dédào.

You're the only one who can do it.

只有得了签证才可以来中国。

Zhǐyǒu de le qiānzhèng cái kěyǐ lái Zhōngguó.

You can only come to China if you’ve got a visa.

只有游客才这么做。

Zhǐyǒu yóukè cái zhème zuò.

The only people who do this are tourists.

因为你不够努力，所以才会失败。

Yīnwèi nǐ búgòu nǔlì, suǒyǐ cái huì shībài.

The reason why you failed is you did not try hard enough.

因为你我们才迟了。

Yīnwèi nǐ wǒmen cái chíle.

It's because of you that we were late.

大地震发生的时候，我才十岁。

Dà dìzhèn fāshēng de shíhou, wǒ cái shí suì.

When the big earthquake occurred, I was just ten.

希望别破妈妈发现才好。

Xīwàng bié pò māma fāxiàn cái hǎo.

I hope Mom doesn't find out.

形式是暂时的，等级才是永恒的。

Xíngshì shì zànshí de, děngjí cái shì yǒnghéng de.

Form is temporary, class is permanent.

我们一共才有两百块钱，完全不够。

Wǒmen yígòng cái yǒu liǎng bǎi kuài qián, wánquán búgòu.

Altogether we've only got two hundred kuai. It's nowhere near enough.

我们一共才有500块钱，完全不够。

Wǒmen yígòng cái yǒu wǔbǎi kuài qián, wánquán búgòu.

Altogether we've only got 500 bucks - it's not enough at all.

我们十点上课，可是她十一点才来。

Wǒmen shí diǎn shàngkè, kěshì tā shíyīdiǎn cái lái.

We start class at 10, but she didn't arrive until 11.

我们才一到家就下起雨来了。

Wǒmen cái yí dào jiā jiù xià qǐ yǔ láile.

Hardly had we come home when it began to rain.

我们花了一个半钟头才做完。

Wǒmen huāle yígèbàn zhōngtóu cái zuò wán.

We spent an hour and a half getting it done.

我刚刚才到的。

Wǒ gānggang cái dào de.

I arrived just now.

我只有戴眼镜的话才看得清楚。

Wǒ zhǐyǒu dài yǎnjìng dehuà cái kàn de qīngchu.

I can only see clearly if I wear my glasses.

我在火车开后才到达车站。

Wǒ zài huǒchē kāi hòu cái dàodá chēzhàn.

I only got to the station after the train had left.

我弟觉得他比我强，但他才六岁。

Wǒ dì juéde tā bǐ wǒ qiáng, dàn tā cái liù suì.

My brother thinks that he's stronger than me. But he's only six years old.

我很晚才睡。

Wǒ hěn wǎn cái shuì.

I stayed up till late at night.

我才下班。

Wǒ cái xiàbān.

I just got off work.

我才不会呢！

Wǒ cái búhuì ne!

I'd never do that!

我才不吃这么恶心的东西呢！

Wǒ cái bùchī zhème ěxīn de dōngxi ne!

There's no way I'm eating something so disgusting!

我才不管你累不累呢。

Wǒ cái bùguǎn nǐ lèi bú lèi ne.

I don't give a toss that you are tired.

我才不要呢！

Wǒ cái búyào ne!

Absolutely not!

我才想起来我之前该买个面包。

Wǒ cái xiǎng qilai wǒ zhīqián gāi mǎi gè miànbāo.

I just remembered that I was supposed to buy a loaf of bread.

我才接到他的电话。

Wǒ cái jiēdào tā de diànhuà.

I just got his call.

我才有两个！

Wǒ cái yǒu liǎng gè!

I've only got two!

我才没想哭。

Wǒ cái méi xiǎng kū.

I didn't mean to cry.

我才看到你的email.

Wǒ cái kàndào nǐ deemail.

I just saw your email.

我是吃了饭才出发的。

Wǒ shì chīle fàn cái chūfā de.

I only set off after I'd eaten.

我是吃过饭才出发的。

Wǒ shì chīguo fàn cái chūfā de.

I only set off after I'd eaten.

我的意见才是最重要的！

Wǒ de yìjiàn cái shì zuì zhòngyào de!

My opinion is the one that counts!

我看完电视才去做功课。

Wǒ kàn wán diànshì cái qù zuò gōngkè.

I'll do my homework after I watch television.

我等了你半天，你怎么才来？

Wǒ děng le nǐ bàntiān, nǐ zěnme cái lái?

I've been waiting for you for ages. Why are you only getting here now?

我通常星期天要到中午才起床。

Wǒ tōngcháng xīngqītiān yào dào zhōngwǔ cái qǐchuáng.

I usually don't get up until noon on Sundays.

所以我才会一直输。

Suǒyǐ wǒ cái huì yìzhí shū.

That’s why I keep losing.

方法并不重要，结果才重要。

Fāngfǎ bìng bú zhòngyào, jiéguǒ cái zhòngyào.

It is not the means which matters, it is the end.

昨天晚上我的女儿一点半才回家。

Zuótiān wǎnshang wǒ de nǚ'ér yìdiǎn bàn cái huíjiā.

Last night my daughter didn't come home until half past one.

晚餐之后你才可以看电视。

Wǎncān zhīhòu nǐ cái kěyǐ kàn diànshì.

You can watch TV after supper.

有人叫我来，我才来的。

Yǒurén jiào wǒ lái, wǒ cái lái de.

It's because I was asked to come that I'm here.

爱拼才会赢。

Ài pīn cái huì yíng.

Whether you will succeed or not depends on your efforts.

爸爸刚刚才出门。

Bàba gānggang cái chūmén.

Dad just now went out.

现在才中午。

Xiànzài cái zhōngwǔ.

It is just noon.

现在才五点，太早了。

Xiànzài cái wǔ diǎn, tài zǎole.

It's only five o'clock - it's too early.

现在才早上七点，太早了。

Xiànzài cái zǎoshang qī diǎn, tài zǎole.

It's only seven in the morning, it's too early.

现在才6点半，怎么会堵车呢？

Xiànzài cái liù diǎn bàn, zěnme huì dǔchē ne?

How can there be a traffic jam now, as late as 6 o'clock?

电脑是最近才发明的。

Diànnǎo shì zuìjìn cái fāmíng de.

The computer is a recent invention.

直到今早我才知道了真相。

Zhídào jīn zǎo wǒ cái zhīdàole zhēnxiàng.

Not until this morning did I learn the truth.

直到那时我才真正感到害怕。

Zhídào nàshí wǒ cái zhēnzhèng gǎndào hàipà.

It wasn't until then that I felt really frightened.

语言一定要自学才会学得好。

Yǔyán yídìng yào zìxué cái huì xué de hǎo.

If you want to learn a language well, learn it yourself.

谁才是我真正的父母？

Shéi cái shì wǒ zhēnzhèng de fùmǔ?

Who are my real parents?

还有几个小时才到得了？

Háiyǒu jǐ ge xiǎoshí cái dào de le?

How many hours left till arrival?

这家里应该没有男人才对。

Zhè jiālǐ yīnggāi méiyǒu nánrén cái duì.

There aren't supposed to be any men in this house.

这才是刀！

Zhè cái shì dāo!

Now this is a knife!

这才是我们该探究的。

Zhè cái shì wǒmen gāi tànjiū de.

That's what we intend to find out.

这才算一个充分的理由。

Zhè cái suàn yí gè chōngfèn de lǐyóu.

Now that's a good reason.

这样做才对。

Zhèyàng zuò cái duì.

That's the way to do it. ["It's not right until you do it this way."]

那不是刀… 这才是刀！

Nà bú shì dāo… zhè cái shì dāo!

That's not a knife... this is a knife!

除非雨停了，我们才会出去。

Chúfēi yǔ tíngle, wǒmen cái huì chūqù.

We won't go out unless it stops raining.