Sentence pattern · Band 3
只有……才……: only if
只有 A，才 B
只有……才 is the strict door: no other path exists. Only if you put in the work 才 will you learn it well; only on Sundays 才 do I have time. Where 只要 said this much is enough, 只有 says this much or nothing at all. The 才 before the verb is the lock turning.
Hear it in a sentence
Mistakes people make
就 belongs to the easy door 只要; the strict door 只有 demands its partner 才.
才 stands before the verb it gates, never stranded at the end.
Words in this pattern
Quick answers
What does 只有……才…… mean?
只有……才 is the strict door: no other path exists. Only if you put in the work 才 will you learn it well; only on Sundays 才 do I have time. Where 只要 said this much is enough, 只有 says this much or nothing at all. The 才 before the verb is the lock turning.
How do you build it?
只有 A，才 B
What is the most common mistake?
只有努力，就能学好。 → 只有努力，才能学好。
就 belongs to the easy door 只要; the strict door 只有 demands its partner 才.
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