Dictionary › 只有

只有

zhǐ yǒu

HSK 3.0 level 3 2-character word

只有 (zhǐ yǒu) means "there is only; only (if)". It is an HSK 3.0 level 3 word, and was not on the old six-level HSK list.

What 只有 means

1. only have ...; there is only ...
2. (used in combination with {才|cái}) it is only if ... (that one can ...) (as in {只有通过治疗才能痊愈|zhǐ yǒu tōng guò zhì liáo cái néng quán yù} "the only way to cure it is with therapy")
3. it is only (someone) who ... (as in {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. (used to express lack of alternatives) can only; have no choice but to (as in {只有屈服|zhǐ yǒu qū fú} "the only thing you can do is give in")

How 只有 is used in grammar

只有 is a grammar word. Each link goes to its own section: what it does in that pattern, the structure, three example sentences with pinyin, and the mistake to avoid.

• 只要/只有…才…: only if/unless (HSK 4)

The official HSK 3.0 grammar outline lists it at level 3, conjunctions (连接分句或句子).

The characters in 只有

• 只zhǐonly; merely; just
• 有yǒuto have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意

Example sentences

• 只有你懂我。
  You're the only one who understands me.
• 青春只有一次。
  Qīngchūn zhǐ yǒuyīcì.
  Youth comes but once in life.
• 我们只有茶水。
  Wǒmen zhǐ yǒu cháshuǐ.
  We only have tea.
• 只有一条浴巾。
  Zhǐ yǒu yī tiáo yùjīn.
  There is only one bath towel.
• 真相只有一个。
  There is only one truth.
• 当时只有三人。
  There was only three people at that time.

Go deeper

• The four tones and the neutral tone, to read zhǐ yǒu correctly.
• Look up another word in the free dictionary.