才 · 已 · 早已 · 始终
only just · already (written) · long since · from start to finish
Structure
主语 + 才 + 动词（+ 时长） · 已／早已 + 动词 · 始终 + 动词／形容词
What it means
Four time words: 才 + verb “only just, only (so far)”, 已 “already” (written), 早已 “long since”, and 始终 “from start to finish, all along”.
How it is built
Each goes before the verb: 我才来一个星期 (I’ve only been here a week). Likewise 会议已开始 (the meeting has started), 大家早已走了 (everyone had long gone), 车始终没动 (the car never moved).
When to use it
已 is the written form of 已经, seen on signs and phone messages; in speech say 已经. 早已 stresses that it happened long before. 始终 very often comes with 没 or 不: nothing changed the whole time.
Watch out
Two different 才: 才 + verb + amount means “only”: 我才来一个星期. A time + 才 + verb means “not until”: 九点四十才到 (didn’t arrive till 9:40, h2-8). Don’t mix them up.
Examples
我才来一个星期，还不认识路。
I only got here a week ago, so I don’t know my way around yet.
会议已开始，请小声说话。
The meeting has started. Please keep your voices down.
他到的时候，大家早已走了。
By the time he arrived, everyone had long gone.
开了一个小时的会，他始终没说话。
He didn’t say a word through the whole hour-long meeting.
Learn this in HSK 3 · Lesson 5: 又迟到了 (Late again)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
Open the lesson →