就

就 (jiù) is one of the most overworked adverbs in Mandarin — small word, many jobs. Core uses: (1) 'right away / soon / already' for time — 我马上就来 ('I'll come right away'), 他八点就到了 ('he arrived at eight already'); (2) 'then' linking a condition to a result — 你不去我就不去 ('if you don't go, then I won't go'); (3) 'precisely / exactly / none other than' for emphasis — 这就是我家 ('this is exactly my house'), 我就喜欢你 ('it's you I like, no one else'); (4) 'just / only' to downplay quantity — 我就吃了一点 ('I just ate a little'). Position matters: 就 sits before the verb, after the subject. Because it carries so many shades, learners often mistranslate it as one English word — but 就 is more about emphasis and connection than about a fixed meaning. Compare with 才 (cái), which usually expresses 'only then / not until,' the opposite-feeling sibling of 就.

Note: Extremely common in everyday speech. Multiple functions; tone of voice and surrounding context determine which meaning is active.

Memory hook: Think of 就 as a connector between two things — once X happens, Y happens right away. The 'right away' feeling is at the heart of most uses.