Word: 才 (cái)

下河才知水深浅

xià hé cái zhī shuǐ shēnqiǎn

only when you go into the river do you learn how deep it is

不叫的狗才咬人

bú jiào de gǒu cái yǎo rén

the dog that doesn't bark is the one that bites

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.

东坡肉要慢慢炖才好吃。

Dōngpōròu yào mànmàn dùn cái hǎochī.

Dongpo pork has to be stewed slowly to taste good.

东坡肉要炖很久才好吃。

Dōngpōròu yào dùn hěn jiǔ cái hǎochī.

Dongpo braised pork has to be stewed for a long time to taste good.

两个部门要同心协力才行。

Liǎng gè bùmén yào tóngxīnxiélì cái xíng.

The two departments have to work as one.

中草药通常需要慢慢煮才有效果。

Zhōngcǎoyào tōngcháng xūyào mànmàn zhǔ cái yǒu xiàoguǒ.

Chinese herbal medicine usually has to be simmered slowly to be effective.

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?

事后大家才发现门没锁。

Shìhòu dàjiā cái fāxiàn mén méi suǒ.

Only after the event did everyone notice the door wasn't locked.

事后才说，这是马后炮！

Shìhòu cái shuō, zhè shì mǎhòupào!

Saying it only afterwards is just hindsight!

事后才说，那是马后炮。

Shìhòu cái shuō, nà shì mǎhòupào.

Saying it only after the fact is just hindsight.

事故的真相什么时候才能查明？

Shìgù de zhēnxiàng shénme shíhou cái néng chámíng?

When will the truth about the accident be established?

产品必须先过质检才能出厂。

Chǎnpǐn bìxū xiān guò zhìjiǎn cái néng chūchǎng.

Products must pass quality inspection before they leave the factory.

人到难处才见心

rén dào nánchu cái jiàn xīn

only when people are in difficulty do you see their hearts

人老不算老，心老才算老

rén lǎo búsuàn lǎo, xīn lǎo cái suàn lǎo

being old in body doesn't count as old; only an old heart counts as old

什么时候才结束啊？

Shénme shíhou cái jiéshù a?

When will it end?

他今天是替补，下半场才上场。

Tā jīntiān shì tìbǔ, xiàbànchǎng cái shàngchǎng.

He's a substitute today and only came on in the second half.

他们侦查了很久才找到证据。

Tāmen zhēnchále hěn jiǔ cái zhǎodào zhèngjù.

They investigated for a long time before finding evidence.

他们怎样才能脱贫呢？

Tāmen zěnyàng cái néng tuōpín ne?

How can they escape poverty?

他们明天才会来。

Tāmen míngtiān cái huì lái.

They won't come until tomorrow.

他们花了三天才攀登到山顶。

Tāmen huāle sāntiān cái pāndēng dào shāndǐng.

It took them three days to scale the summit.

他先沐浴，然后才吃饭。

Tā xiān mùyù, ránhòu cái chīfàn.

He bathes first and only then eats.

他出门办事了，下午才回来。

Tā chūmén bànshì le, xiàwǔ cái huílai.

He went out to run an errand and won't be back until the afternoon.

他到了九点才回来。

Tā dàole jiǔ diǎn cái huílai.

He did not come back until nine o'clock.

他吃了亏，才觉悟自己错了。

Tā chīle kuī, cái juéwù zìjǐ cuòle.

Only after he suffered a loss did he realize he was wrong.

他子夜才下班，真辛苦。

Tā zǐyè cái xiàbān, zhēn xīnkǔ.

He doesn't get off work until midnight, which is really hard.

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.

他学了三年才学会把脉。

Tā xué le sān nián cái xuéhuì bǎmài.

It took him three years to learn how to feel the pulse.

他感冒了一个礼拜才好。

Tā gǎnmàole yí gè lǐbài cái hǎo.

He had a cold for a whole week before he got better.

他才三岁，你要求未免太高了。

Tā cái sān suì, nǐ yāoqiú wèimiǎn tài gāole.

He's only three, so your expectations are really too high.

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.

他斟酌了很久才回答。

Tā zhēnzhuóle hěn jiǔ cái huídá.

He deliberated for a long time before answering.

他明天才走。

Tā míngtiān cái zǒu.

He's not leaving until tomorrow.

他是初级工程师，工作才一年。

Tā shì chūjí gōngchéngshī, gōngzuò cái yì nián.

He is a junior engineer and has only worked for a year.

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.

他晚年才开始学画画。

Tā wǎnnián cái kāishǐ xué huàhuà.

He only started learning to paint in his later years.

他父母很勤俭，才供他上了大学。

Tā fùmǔ hěn qínjiǎn, cái gōng tā shàng le dàxué.

His parents were hardworking and frugal, which is how they put him through university.

他犹豫了一下，才打开那扇门。

Tā yóuyùle yíxià, cái dǎkāi nà shàn mén.

He hesitated for a moment before opening the door.

他老婆很有才。

Tā lǎopó hěn yǒu cái.

His wife is quite a talented woman.

他花了五年才攻克这个难关。

Tā huāle wǔ nián cái gōngkè zhège nánguān.

It took him five years to overcome this difficulty.

他花了半年时间才维权成功。

Tā huāle bànnián shíjiān cái wéiquán chénggōng.

It took him half a year to successfully defend his rights.

他花了好几年才证明了这条定理。

Tā huāle hǎojǐnián cái zhèngmíng le zhè tiáo dìnglǐ.

It took him several years to prove this theorem.

他花了很多钱，才买到这个秘方。

Tā huāle hěn duō qián, cái mǎi dào zhège mìfāng.

He spent a lot of money to get this secret recipe.

他躺了一会儿才缓过来。

Tā tǎngle yíhuìr cái huǎn guòlái.

He lay down for a while before he came around.

他躺在床上挣扎了很久，才起床。

Tā tǎng zài chuáng shàng zhēngzhále hěn jiǔ, cái qǐchuáng.

He struggled in bed for a long time before getting up.

他迟疑了一下，才推开门。

Tā chíyí le yíxià, cái tuīkāi mén.

He hesitated for a moment before pushing open the door.

代码要先编译才能运行。

Dàimǎ yào xiān biānyì cái néng yùnxíng.

The code has to be compiled before it can run.

你亲身试过才知道好不好。

Nǐ qīnshēn shìguo cái zhīdào hǎobùhǎo.

You only know if it's good after trying it yourself.

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?

你什么时候才能释怀呢？

Nǐ shénme shíhou cái néng shìhuái ne?

When will you finally be able to move on?

你们爬了几个小时才登顶？

Nǐmen pále jǐ ge xiǎoshí cái dēngdǐng?

How many hours did it take you to reach the top?

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.

你得了解俄语才能学这门语言。

Nǐ děi liǎojiě Éyǔ cái néng xué zhè mén yǔyán.

You have to know Russian to learn this language.

你怎么到现在才露面？

Nǐ zěnme dào xiànzài cái lòumiàn?

Why are you only showing your face now?

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?!

你要考60分以上才能及格。

Nǐ yào kǎo liùshí fēn yǐshàng cái néng jígé.

To pass, you need to score over 60 points.

你觉得多少钱才算财务自由？

Nǐ juéde duōshǎo qián cái suàn cáiwùzìyóu?

How much money do you think counts as financial freedom?

你走了他才来。

Nǐ zǒule tā cái lái.

He came after you left.

健康才是人一生中的无价之宝。

Jiànkāng cái shì rén yìshēng zhōng de wújiàzhībǎo.

Health is the one priceless treasure in a person's life.

傻瓜才会那么干。

Shǎguā cái huì nàme gàn.

Only a fool would do something like that.

先找出原因，才能对症下药。

Xiān zhǎochū yuányīn, cái néng duìzhèngxiàyào.

You have to find the cause first before you can take the right steps.

全家团聚，才是天伦之乐。

Quánjiā tuánjù, cái shì tiānlúnzhīlè.

Having the whole family together is true family joy.

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.

几经周折，他才找到工作。

Jǐjīng zhōuzhé, tā cái zhǎodào gōngzuò.

After many twists and turns, he finally found a job.

别刁难孩子了，他才五岁。

Bié diāonàn háizi le, tā cái wǔ suì.

Stop being hard on the child, he's only five.

别等失去了才后悔莫及。

Bié děng shīqùle cái hòuhuǐmòjí.

Don't wait until you've lost it, when regret will be too late.

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.

加强法制，才能保护普通人。

Jiāqiáng fǎzhì, cái néng bǎohù pǔtōngrén.

Only by strengthening the legal system can ordinary people be protected.

努力工作才能养活自己。

Nǔlì gōngzuò cái néng yǎnghuo zìjǐ.

Work hard so that you may earn your living.

双赢的合作才能长久。

Shuāngyíng de hézuò cái néng chángjiǔ.

Only a cooperation that benefits both sides can last.

只有亲身经历过，才知道有多难。

Zhǐyǒu qīnshēn jīnglì guò, cái zhīdào yǒu duōnàn.

Only after experiencing it first-hand do you know how hard it is.

只有你才做得到。

Zhǐyǒu nǐ cái zuò dédào.

You're the only one who can do it.

只有学习才能获得知识。

Zhǐyǒu xuéxí cái néng huòdé zhīshi.

Knowledge can only be obtained by study.

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.

只有政府才有专卖的权利。

Zhǐyǒu zhèngfǔ cái yǒu zhuānmài de quánlì.

Only the government has the right of exclusive trade.

只有法律才能真正伸张公道。

Zhǐyǒu fǎlǜ cái néng zhēnzhèng shēnzhāng gōngdào.

Only the law can truly uphold fairness.

只有游客才这么做。

Zhǐyǒu yóukè cái zhème zuò.

The only people who do this are tourists.

只有雌性蚊子才会咬人。

Zhǐyǒu cíxìng wénzi cái huì yǎo rén.

Only female mosquitoes bite people.

合适与否，试了才知道。

Héshì yǔfǒu, shìle cái zhīdào.

You only know whether it suits you or not after trying it.

听完老师的解释，我才恍然大悟。

Tīng wán lǎoshī de jiěshì, wǒ cái huǎngrándàwù.

After hearing the teacher's explanation, I suddenly understood.

咖啡里放了糖，要搅拌一下才甜。

Kāfēi lǐ fàngle táng, yào jiǎobàn yíxià cái tián.

You've put sugar in the coffee, but it only gets sweet once you stir it.

唯有努力，才能实现你的梦想。

Wéiyǒu nǔlì, cái néng shíxiàn nǐ de mèngxiǎng.

Only through hard work can you achieve your dream.

唯有努力，才能考上好大学。

Wéiyǒu nǔlì, cái néng kǎoshàng hǎo dàxué.

Only through hard work can you get into a good university.

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.

因为蔡伦，纸才变得便宜。

Yīnwèi Cài Lún, zhǐ cái biànde piányi.

It was thanks to Cai Lun that paper became cheap.

国家安定，文化才会兴盛。

Guójiā āndìng, wénhuà cái huì xīngshèng.

Culture can thrive only when a country is stable.

国家繁荣，大家的生活才会变好。

Guójiā fánróng, dàjiā de shēnghuó cái huì biàn hǎo.

Only when the country prospers will everyone's lives get better.

在这种场合，穿什么才恰当？

Zài zhèzhǒng chǎnghé, chuān shénme cái qiàdàng?

What would be appropriate to wear on an occasion like this?

多亏你解围，我才不尴尬。

Duōkuī nǐ jiěwéi, wǒ cái bù gāngà.

Thanks to you bailing me out, I wasn't embarrassed.

多亏姐姐扶持，我才上学。

Duōkuī jiějie fúchí, wǒ cái shàngxué.

Thanks to my older sister's help, I was able to go to school.

多亏有了他，我们才能在这里。

Duōkuī yǒule tā, wǒmen cái néng zài zhèlǐ.

We're here thanks to him.

多亏朋友引荐，我才进了公司。

Duōkuī péngyou yǐnjiàn, wǒ cái jìnle gōngsī.

It was only thanks to a friend's referral that I got into the company.