# Emphasis with "就是"

<SentenceQuiz>

- 那个 人 _就是_ 她 的 新 男朋友。
  <!-- - Nàge rén _jiùshì_ tā de xīn nánpéngyou. -->
  - That guy is her new boyfriend.
- 他 _就是_ 你 要 找 的 人 。
  <!-- - Tā _jiùshì_ nǐ yào zhǎo de rén. -->
  - He's just the person that you're looking for.
- 我们 _就是_ 他 的 家人 。
  <!-- - Wǒmen _jiùshì_ tā de jiārén. -->
  - We're his family.
- 你 _就是_ 个 笨蛋！
  <!-- - Nǐ _jiùshì_ gè bèndàn! -->
  - A moron is precisely what you are!
- 他 _就是_ 那个 骗子！
  <!-- - Tā _jiùshì_ nàge piànzi! -->
  - That con man is him!
- 他 不 去 旅游 _就是_ 不 想 花钱 。
  <!-- - Tā bù qù lǚyóu _jiùshì_ bù xiǎng huāqián. -->
  - He didn't travel only because he doesn't want to spend the money.
- 你 不 参加 比赛 _就是_ 怕 输 吗 ？
  <!-- - Nǐ bù cānjiā bǐsài _jiùshì_ pà shū ma? -->
  - You're not entering the competition just because you're afraid of losing?
- 他 这样 说 _就是_ 不 喜欢 我 。
  <!-- - Tā zhèyàng shuō _jiùshì_ bù xǐhuan wǒ. -->
  - He said this only because he doesn't like me.
- 她 问 这么 多，_就是_ 担心 你 。
  <!-- - Tā wèn zhème duō, _jiùshì_ dānxīn nǐ. -->
  - She asked so many questions only because she's worried about you.
- 她 _就是_ 漂亮 ，没 别的 优势 。
  <!-- - Tā _jiùshì_ piàoliang, méi biéde yōushì. -->
  - She's just pretty; she doesn't have any other strengths.
- 我 _就_ 要 去！
  <!-- - Wǒ _jiù_ yào qù! -->
  - I just want to go!
- 我 _就是_ 喜欢 他。
  <!-- - Wǒ _jiù shì_ xǐhuan tā. -->
  - I just like him.
- 我 _就_ 不 告诉 你 。
  <!-- - Wǒ _jiù_ bù gàosu nǐ. -->
  - I'm just not going to tell you.
- 我 父母 _就是_ 不 让 我 一个人 去 。
  <!-- - Wǒ fùmǔ _jiùshì_ bù ràng wǒ yīgèrén qù. -->
  - My parents simply won't let me go alone.
- 这个 学生 *就是*不 听 老师 的 话 。
  <!-- - Zhège xuéshēng _jiùshì_ bù tīng lǎoshī de huà. -->
  - The student just wouldn't listen to his teacher.

</SentenceQuiz>

<TOC>

- Level: [B1](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/B1_grammar_points) / [HSK2](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/HSK2_grammar_points)
- Similar to
- Used for: [Emphasizing](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Emphasizing)
- Keywords: [就](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%B0%B1), [就是](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E5%B0%B1%E6%98%AF)

</TOC>

As an adverb, 就 (jiù) can be placed before the [predicate](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Predicate) to add emphasis. It often has an intense or provocative feel to it, similar to "just." In English we might say, "it's _just_ not right!" This emphasis very often appears as 就是 in Chinese.

## Used as "Is Exactly"

### Structure

就是 + Noun

### Examples

- 那个 人 _就是_ 她 的 新 男朋友。
  <!-- - Nàge rén _jiùshì_ tā de xīn nánpéngyou. -->
  - That guy is her new boyfriend.
- 他 _就是_ 你 要 找 的 人 。
  <!-- - Tā _jiùshì_ nǐ yào zhǎo de rén. -->
  - He's just the person that you're looking for.
- 我们 _就是_ 他 的 家人 。
  <!-- - Wǒmen _jiùshì_ tā de jiārén. -->
  - We're his family.
- 你 _就是_ 个 笨蛋！
  <!-- - Nǐ _jiùshì_ gè bèndàn! -->
  - A moron is precisely what you are!
- 他 _就是_ 那个 骗子！
  <!-- - Tā _jiùshì_ nàge piànzi! -->
  - That con man is him!

## Used as "Only Because"

就是 can be used to intensify the predicate to mean "only (because of) that and nothing else." In this case, 是 can't be omitted. In many cases, you could also add in an 因为, but it's not required.

### Examples

- 他 不 去 旅游 _就是_ 不 想 花钱 。
  <!-- - Tā bù qù lǚyóu _jiùshì_ bù xiǎng huāqián. -->
  - He didn't travel only because he doesn't want to spend the money.
- 你 不 参加 比赛 _就是_ 怕 输 吗 ？
  <!-- - Nǐ bù cānjiā bǐsài _jiùshì_ pà shū ma? -->
  - You're not entering the competition just because you're afraid of losing?
- 他 这样 说 _就是_ 不 喜欢 我 。
  <!-- - Tā zhèyàng shuō _jiùshì_ bù xǐhuan wǒ. -->
  - He said this only because he doesn't like me.
- 她 问 这么 多，_就是_ 担心 你 。
  <!-- - Tā wèn zhème duō, _jiùshì_ dānxīn nǐ. -->
  - She asked so many questions only because she's worried about you.
- 她 _就是_ 漂亮 ，没 别的 优势 。
  <!-- - Tā _jiùshì_ piàoliang, méi biéde yōushì. -->
  - She's just pretty; she doesn't have any other strengths.

## Other Usage

In the examples above, 就 pairs exclusively with the verb 是. But 就 can also come before other verbs, with similar emphatic effect. In these cases, it's also OK to use 就是 before the other verbs as well.

### Structure

就(是) + (不) + Verb

### Examples

- 我 _就_ 要 去！
  <!-- - Wǒ _jiù_ yào qù! -->
  - I just want to go!
- 我 _就是_ 喜欢 他。
  <!-- - Wǒ _jiù shì_ xǐhuan tā. -->
  - I just like him.
- 我 _就_ 不 告诉 你 。
  <!-- - Wǒ _jiù_ bù gàosu nǐ. -->
  - I'm just not going to tell you.
- 我 父母 _就是_ 不 让 我 一个人 去 。
  <!-- - Wǒ fùmǔ _jiùshì_ bù ràng wǒ yīgèrén qù. -->
  - My parents simply won't let me go alone.
- 这个 学生 *就是*不 听 老师 的 话 。
  <!-- - Zhège xuéshēng _jiùshì_ bù tīng lǎoshī de huà. -->
  - The student just wouldn't listen to his teacher.

As you may have noticed, many of these uses of 就 or 就是 carry a flippant, stubborn tone, referred to as 任性 (rènxìng) in Chinese.

## See also

- ["Just" with "就" ](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22Just%22_with_%22jiu%22)
- [Comparing "才" and "就"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Comparing_%22cai%22_and_%22jiu%22)
- [Events in quick succession with "以... 就"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Events_in_quick_succession_with_%22yi..._jiu%22)
- [Expressing earliness with "就" ](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_earliness_with_%22jiu%22)
- [Expressing indifference with "就"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_indifference_with_%22jiu%22)
- [Limiting scope with "就"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Limiting_scope_with_%22jiu%22)
- ["If…, then…" with "如果, 就…"](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%22If%E2%80%A6,_then%E2%80%A6%22_with_%22ruguo%E2%80%A6,_jiu%E2%80%A6%22)

## Sources and further reading

### Books

- [现代汉语虚词例释](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%99%9A%E8%AF%8D%E4%BE%8B%E9%87%8A) (pp. 316) [卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy](http://amzn.to/2z4g8q6,)

### Dictionaries

- [现代汉语词典（第5版）](https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/%E7%8E%B0%E4%BB%A3%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E8%AF%8D%E5%85%B8%EF%BC%88%E7%AC%AC5%E7%89%88%EF%BC%89) (pp. 733) [卓越汉语－公司实战篇 →buy](http://amzn.to/2z4g8q6,)