只 (zhǐ)
As an adverb, it means only this and nothing else.
1. “只” restricts things related to actions.
e.g.
我只去过英国。(Wǒ zhǐ qù guo Yīngguó.) I’ve only been to the UK.
你不能只看到事情好的那一面。(Nǐ bùnéng zhǐ kàn dào shìqing hǎo de nà yī miàn.) You can’t only see the good side of things.
我只学过汉语。(Wǒ zhǐ xué guo Hànyǔ.) I’ve only studied Chinese.
“只” is often used in contrast with “不/没”.
e.g.
我只吃过川菜，其他中国菜还没吃过呢。(Wǒ zhǐ chī guo Chuāncài, qítā Zhōngguó cài hái méi chī guo ne.) I’ve only eaten Sichuan cuisine; I haven’t tried other Chinese cuisines yet.
我只会说中文，不会写。(Wǒ zhǐ huì shuō Zhōngwén, bú huì xiě.) I can only speak Chinese, not write it.
这次聚会我们只邀请了你们一家，没邀请别人。(Zhè cì jùhuì wǒmen zhǐ yāoqǐng le nǐmen yī jiā, méi yāoqǐng biérén.) For this gathering, we only invited your family, not anyone else.
2. It restricts the quantity of things related to actions.
e.g.
这个秘密只有我们两个人知道。(Zhège mìmì zhǐ yǒu wǒmen liǎng gè rén zhīdào.) Only the two of us know this secret.
她长那么大，只得过一场病。(Tā zhǎng nàme dà, zhǐ dé guo yī chǎng bìng.) She has grown up so much and has only been sick once.
我迟到了，只看了一半电影。(Wǒ chídào le, zhǐ kàn le yíbàn diànyǐng.) I was late and only watched half of the movie.
3. It restricts the action itself as well as the possibility of the action, etc.
e.g.
有些事情只能慢慢来，不能着急。(Yǒuxiē shìqing zhǐ néng màn man lái, bù néng zháojí.) Some things can only be done slowly; you can’t rush them.
这本书我只翻了一下，还没细看。(Zhè běn shū wǒ zhǐ fān le yīxià, hái méi xì kàn.) I’ve only skimmed through this book; I haven’t read it carefully yet.
这件事我只想了想，还没准备行动呢。(Zhè jiàn shì wǒ zhǐ xiǎng le xiǎng, hái méi zhǔnbèi xíngdòng ne.) I’ve only thought about this matter; I haven’t prepared to take action yet.
4. It is placed directly before nouns to restrict the quantity of things. It can be said that there is an implied verb in the middle, such as “有,” “是,” or “要,” etc.
e.g.
这次比赛的奖金我只要一半，另外一半会捐给贫困儿童。(Zhè cì bǐsài de jiǎngjīn wǒ zhǐ yào yíbàn, lìngwài yíbàn huì juān gěi pínkùn értóng.) I’ll only take half of the prize money from this competition; the other half will be donated to underprivileged children.
办公室里只有我一个人。(Bàngōngshì lǐ zhǐ yǒu wǒ yī gè rén.) There’s only me in the office.
只金牌她就得了三块。(Zhǐ jīnpái tā jiù dé le sān kuài.) She won three gold medals alone.
才 (cái)
“才” can indicate just happened a short while ago; something happened or ended late; or used in fixed collocations, indicating that only under certain conditions or due to certain reasons or purposes.
The detailed explanation and practice about “才”
Among which, when it is used to indicate a small quantity, low degree; only, it’s similar to “只”.
e.g.
这个班才十个人。(Zhège bān cái shí gè rén.) This class has only ten people.
-> 这个班只有十个人。(Zhège bān zhǐ yǒu shí gè rén.)
他才三岁。(Tā cái sān suì.) He is only three years old.
-> 他只有三岁。(Tā zhǐ yǒu sān suì.)
他才是个小学生，你不能要求太高。(Tā cái shì gè xiǎoxuéshēng, nǐ bù néng yāoqiú tài gāo.) He’s just an elementary school student; you can’t expect too much.
-> 他只是个小学生，你不能要求太高。(Tā zhǐ shì gè xiǎoxuéshēng, nǐ bù néng yāoqiú tài gāo.)
这部电影我才看了一遍，还想多看几遍。(Zhè bù diànyǐng wǒ cái kàn le yī biàn, hái xiǎng duō kàn jǐ biàn.) I’ve just watched this movie once; I want to watch it a few more times.
-> 这部电影我只看了一遍，还想多看几遍。(Zhè bù diànyǐng wǒ zhǐ kàn le yī biàn, hái xiǎng duō kàn jǐ biàn.)
Exercise
