Definitions
About
The character 就 (jiù) is a phono-semantic compound, with the left component 京 (jīng) suggesting a semantic link to a capital city or elevated place, and the right component 尤 (yóu) supplying the phonetic element. Originally, it expressed the action of approaching or ascending to a destination, which extended to mean accomplishing or completing a task. While this concrete sense is now obsolete, 就 has evolved into a versatile grammatical particle or adverb in modern Chinese, often conveying immediacy, consequence, or emphasis, similar to English words like "then", "just", or "right away".
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我马上就来。
他就喜欢这个。
他昨天就来了。
如果你来，我就去。
他一下班就回家。
这个就比那个好。
既然你同意了，我们就开始吧。
他不是不想去，就是没时间。