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只有

zhǐ yǒu
HSK 2.0 Level 4 HSK 3.0 Level 3 Conjunction Very common

Definitions

  1. 1. only have ...
  2. 2. there is only ...
  3. 3. it is only ... (who ...) (Example: 只有男性才有此需要zhǐ yǒu nán xìng cái yǒu cǐ xū yào \only men would have such a requirement\)
  4. 4. (used to indicate that one has no alternative) one can only (do a certain thing) (Example: 只有屈服zhǐ yǒu qū fú \the only thing you can do is give in\)

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item
所有
suǒ yǒu

all

as a contrast between 'only' and 'all'

Register variants

1 item
唯有
wéi yǒu

only

formal or literary equivalent for 'only have'

Related words

1 item
只要
zhǐ yào

if only

both are conditional conjunctions, but 只有 introduces a necessary condition while 只要 introduces a sufficient condition

Synonyms

1 item
唯一
wéi yī

only; sole

when emphasizing that something is the sole condition or option

Usage notes

Common mistakes

Learners often confuse 只有 (necessary condition 'only if') with 只要 (sufficient condition 'as long as'); 只有 must be paired with 才, while 只要 is paired with 就.

Grammar

Guides that feature 只有

Jump into a full guide with fill-in-the-blank drills. Clicking will load the page and move you to the top.

2 guides
HSK 2.0 Level 4+ HSK 3.0 Level 4+ 6 min
Condition Chains

Build longer conditional sentences without losing the relationship.

Reading: zhǐ yǒu Open guide
HSK 2.0 Level 4+ HSK 3.0 Level 3+ 6 min
只要...就... and 只有...才...

Separate “as long as” from “only if.”

Reading: zhǐ yǒu Open guide

Example Sentences

5 shown
只有 团结起来，我们才能克服困难。
Only by uniting together can we overcome difficulties.
我们 只有 短暂的休息时间。
We only have a brief rest period.
寒假 只有 一个月。
Winter vacation is only one month long.
这间房子很简陋， 只有 一张床和一张桌子。
This room is very simple and crude, with only a bed and a table.
只有 我？
Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 13112165)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 只有

只
zhǐ

only

有
yǒu

to have; there is

只
zhī

grain that has begun to ripen