jiù

(after a suppositional clause) in that case; then

(after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precisely; exactly; only; as little as; as much as; as many as; to approach; to move towards; to undertake; to engage in; (often followed by 著|着[zhe5]) taking advantage of; (of food) to go with; with regard to; concerning; (pattern: 就[jiu4] ... 也[ye3] ...) even if ... still ...; (pattern: 不[bu4] ... 就[jiu4] ...) if not ... then must be ...

就 — the immediacy and logical-then connector

就 began as 'moving toward a high place (京) where something outstanding (尤) happens' — proximity and immediacy. Over time it grammaticalized into a connector of tight logical sequence: as soon as X, then Y.

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Capital cityPhonetic
OutstandingSemantic

Words with 就

这就

zhè jiù

immediately

这就是说

zhè jiù shì shuō

in other words

造就

zào jiù

to bring up

过了这个村就没这个店

guò le zhè ge cūn jiù méi zhè ge diàn

past this village, you won't find this shop (idiom)

迁就

qiān jiù

to yield to; to adapt to; to accommodate oneself to (sth)

避实就虚

bì shí jiù xū

(idiom) stay clear of the enemy's main force and strike at his weak points

避重就轻

bì zhòng jiù qīng

to avoid the important and dwell on the trivial

铸就

zhù jiù

to cast

随行就市

suí háng jiù shì

(of a price) to fluctuate according to the market

驾轻就熟

jià qīng jiù shú

lit. an easy drive on a familiar path (idiom); fig. experience makes progress easy

高不成低不就

gāo bù chéng dī bù jiù

can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom); not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one

高不凑低不就

gāo bù còu dī bù jiù

can't reach the high or accept the low (idiom); not good enough for a high post, but too proud to take a low one

More characters with 京