才能
Reach for 才能 when one thing has to happen FIRST before another becomes possible — 'only then can you...,' 'you have to X before you can Y.' It pairs a prerequisite (the front clause) with a capability (the back clause): the capability is locked until the prerequisite is met. Common in advice, rules, and instructions: you need a key to open the door, you need to study to pass the exam, you need fuel to drive.
Structure
[CONDITION], (SUBJECT) 才能 [VERB]
..., cáinéng ...
How to Think About It
才 is the gatekeeper here: it signals 'only after the condition do we get to the capability.' 能 is the ability. Together they mean 'and ONLY then can.' Compare to 就能 (right away, the moment the condition is met) — 才能 emphasizes the bar is set, and you don't cross it casually. The condition can be a verb phrase, a time, or a state.
Examples
车有油才能走。
Chē yǒu yóu cáinéng zǒu.
The car can only run if it has fuel.
你休息好了才能工作。
Nǐ xiūxi hǎo le cáinéng gōngzuò.
You can only work after you've rested well.
十八岁以后才能开车。
Shíbā suì yǐhòu cáinéng kāichē.
You can only drive after turning eighteen.
Common Mistake
Learners replace 才能 with 能 alone, losing the 'only then' nuance. 能 simply asserts ability; 才能 stresses that the ability is conditional and unlocked only after meeting the prerequisite.
车有油能走。
车有油才能走。
Don't Confuse With
就能 + Verb
'Right then you can.' 就能 says the capability follows easily and quickly from the condition; 才能 says it follows only after meeting a real bar. '有钱就能买' (with money you can just buy it) vs '有钱才能买' (you need money before you can buy it).
只有...才...
The full 'only if...' frame: '只有努力学习, 才能通过考试.' Same logic as 才能, but 只有 makes the exclusivity explicit. Use it when you want to emphasize 'this is the ONLY way.'
才能 (as a noun)
Same characters, different meaning: 'talent / ability' (他很有才能). Context tells them apart — as a noun it sits as the object of 有 / 显示 / 发挥; as a connector it sits between two clauses.
Practice
你吃饭以后 ___ 看电视。
Show answer
才能
有票 ___ 进去。
Show answer
才能
Put in order: [才能 / 多 / 学好 / 中文 / 听]
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多听才能学好中文。
Translate to Chinese: 'You can only buy this after you turn 18.'
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十八岁以后才能买这个。
Write a sentence with 才能 about something you can only do after a prerequisite.
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Example answer: 多练习才能说得流利。 (Only by practicing a lot can you speak fluently.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
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