just now; a moment ago; not until
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 6 examplesnoun
just now; a moment ago
Used as a temporal noun to refer to a recent past time.
Fāng方
cái才
de的
qíng情
xíng形
，
tā他
dōu都
zhī知
dào道
le了
。
He already knows about the situation from just now.
Tā他
fāng方
cái才
hái还
zài在
bàn办
gōng公
shì室
lǐ里
。
He was in the office just a moment ago.
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Wǒ我
fāng方
cái才
tīng听
dào到
yī一
gè个
qí奇
guài怪
de的
shēng声
yīn音
。
I heard a strange sound just now.
adverb
not until; only then
Used as an adverb, similar to '才 (cái)' but with a slightly stronger emphasis. It indicates that an action occurs later than expected or only under certain conditions.
Děng等
dào到
tiān天
hēi黑
，
tā他
fāng方
cái才
huí回
lái来
。
Not until it got dark did he come back.
Wǒ我
jiě解
shì释
le了
sān三
biàn遍
，
tā他
fāng方
cái才
míng明
bai白
。
Only after I explained it three times did he understand.
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Yǔ雨
tíng停
le了
，
tā他
men们
fāng方
cái才
chū出
fā发
。
Only after the rain stopped did they set off.