Linking Adverbs: 就, 才, 再, 又, 还, 也, and 都

These seven words are small but they do a lot of work. They sit before verbs and help connect ideas, show timing, add things together, or signal that the speaker has a particular attitude about what is happening. They are all extremely common, and several of them have more than one use depending on context. This article covers the core meanings of each one.

就 (jiù): "then," "right away," or "as early as"

就 is one of the most versatile words in Mandarin. Its core feeling is that something follows smoothly, quickly, or sooner than expected.

Sequence and result: 就 links a condition or event to what naturally follows from it.

• 你说，我就做。(Nǐ shuō, wǒ jiù zuò.) -- You say it, and I'll do it.
• 我一回家就睡觉了。(Wǒ yī huí jiā jiù shuìjiào le.) -- As soon as I got home, I went to sleep.

Sooner than expected: 就 can emphasize that something happened early or quickly.

• 他八岁就会做饭了。(Tā bā suì jiù huì zuò fàn le.) -- He could already cook at age eight.
• 我明天就出发。(Wǒ míngtiān jiù chūfā.) -- I'm leaving as early as tomorrow.

Narrowing to exactly this: 就 can also single something out, meaning "precisely" or "only."

• 我就要这个。(Wǒ jiù yào zhège.) -- I want exactly this one.
• 就我一个人知道。(Jiù wǒ yī ge rén zhīdào.) -- Only I know.

才 (cái): "then and only then," or "not until"

才 is often paired with 就 because they are near-opposites. Where 就 says something happened early or easily, 才 says it happened late, with difficulty, or only after a condition was met.

• 他十点才来。(Tā shí diǎn cái lái.) -- He didn't come until ten o'clock.
• 你才说完，他就走了。(Nǐ cái shuō wán, tā jiù zǒu le.) -- You had barely finished speaking when he left.
• 努力学习，才能通过考试。(Nǔlì xuéxí, cái néng tōngguò kǎoshì.) -- Only by studying hard can you pass the exam.

A common pairing worth memorizing: 只有...才 means "only if... then."

• 只有你去，我才去。(Zhǐyǒu nǐ qù, wǒ cái qù.) -- Only if you go will I go.

再 (zài): "again" in the future, or "then after that"

再 refers to an action that will happen again, or a second action that comes after the first. It points forward in time.

• 你再说一遍。(Nǐ zài shuō yī biàn.) -- Say it again.
• 我们先吃饭，再去看电影。(Wǒmen xiān chīfàn, zài qù kàn diànyǐng.) -- Let's eat first and then go see a movie.
• 你先休息，有问题再说。(Nǐ xiān xiūxi, yǒu wèntí zài shuō.) -- Rest first; we'll talk about any problems later.

再 often pairs with 先 (xiān, "first") to sequence two actions: do this first, then do that.

又 (yòu): "again" in the past, or two things at once

又 also means "again," but it refers to something that has already happened before, or is happening right now in repetition.

• 他又迟到了。(Tā yòu chídào le.) -- He's late again.
• 今天又下雨了。(Jīntiān yòu xià yǔ le.) -- It's raining again today.

又...又 means "both... and...," describing two simultaneous qualities or actions:

• 这个菜又便宜又好吃。(Zhège cài yòu piányí yòu hǎochī.) -- This dish is both cheap and delicious.
• 他又唱又跳。(Tā yòu chàng yòu tiào.) -- He sang and danced at the same time.

The difference between 再 and 又 comes up constantly, so it is worth fixing clearly: 再 = future repetition, 又 = past or present repetition.

还 (hái): "still," "also," or "even more"

还 has a few distinct uses, but the common thread is that something continues or adds to what is already there.

Still ongoing:

• 他还在睡觉。(Tā hái zài shuìjiào.) -- He is still sleeping.
• 你还没吃饭吗？(Nǐ hái méi chīfàn ma?) -- You still haven't eaten?

In addition:

• 我会说英语，还会说法语。(Wǒ huì shuō Yīngyǔ, hái huì shuō Fǎyǔ.) -- I can speak English, and also French.
• 除了她，还有谁来了？(Chúle tā, hái yǒu shéi lái le?) -- Besides her, who else came?

Even more (with comparisons):

• 今天比昨天还冷。(Jīntiān bǐ zuótiān hái lěng.) -- Today is even colder than yesterday.

也 (yě): "also" or "too"

也 adds the current thing to something already mentioned. It is close to 还 in its "in addition" meaning, but 也 tends to apply to a new subject doing the same thing, while 还 adds something new about the same subject.

• 我喜欢咖啡，她也喜欢。(Wǒ xǐhuān kāfēi, tā yě xǐhuān.) -- I like coffee, and she does too.
• 这个也不错。(Zhège yě bùcuò.) -- This one is also pretty good.
• 我也不知道。(Wǒ yě bù zhīdào.) -- I don't know either.

也 in a negative sentence ("I don't know either") is very natural and comes up all the time.

都 (dōu): "all" or "both"

都 sums up everything in a group and says the same thing applies to all of it. It always refers back to something already mentioned and sweeps it together.

• 我们都是学生。(Wǒmen dōu shì xuésheng.) -- We are all students.
• 这些书我都看过。(Zhèxiē shū wǒ dōu kàn guò.) -- I have read all of these books.
• 他什么都不吃。(Tā shénme dōu bù chī.) -- He won't eat anything. (Literally: he all won't eat.)

都 goes before the verb, not after it, and it always points back to the subject or object that it is summing up. One very common pattern is question word + 都 to mean "everything" or "nothing":

• 哪里都好。(Nǎlǐ dōu hǎo.) -- Anywhere is fine.
• 什么都行。(Shénme dōu xíng.) -- Anything works.

A quick reference

Word	Core meaning	Key use
就	right away, then, precisely	sequence, early timing, narrowing
才	not until, only then	late timing, conditions
再	again (future), then after	future repetition, sequencing
又	again (past), both...and	past repetition, 又...又
还	still, also, even more	continuation, addition, comparison
也	also, too, either	adding the same thing to a new subject
都	all, both	summing up a group

These words are worth investing time in because they come up in almost every sentence. Getting the feel for each one, especially the 就/才 and 再/又 pairs, makes a big difference in how natural your Chinese sounds.