就 (jiù) can mean “just,” “only,” or “as few as” when emphasizing that a quantity is small or limited. It often appears with a number and measure word.
就 + Subject + Predicate
Used to emphasize that there is only one person or thing doing something.
就我一个人。I’m the only one. / There’s just me.
Subject + 就 + Number + Measure Word + Noun
Used to say that someone or something only has a small number/amount.
我就一个朋友。I only have one friend.
💡 Key idea: 就 highlights that the quantity is small or less than expected. In English, it is often translated as “only,” “just,” or “as few as.”
就我一个人知道。I’m the only one who knows.
冰箱里就两瓶水。There are only two bottles of water in the fridge.
今天就一个人请假。Nnly one person is absent today.
今天是星期六，我去朋友家玩。我们班一共有二十个人，但是今天就三个人来了。我带了一些水果，可是桌子上就两个苹果和一根香蕉。朋友问我：“你还有别的水果吗？”我说：“没有了，我就这几个水果。”
后来，我们一起看电影。我们就看了一个小时，因为下午还有事情要做。朋友说：“时间真快！”我说：“是啊，我们就一个下午，得好好玩！”
Today is Saturday, and I went to my friend’s house to hang out. There are twenty people in our class altogether, but only three people came today. I brought some fruit, but there are only two apples and one banana on the table. My friend asked me, “Do you have any other fruit?” I said, “No, that’s all I have.”
Later, we watched a movie together. We only watched for one hour because we still had things to do in the afternoon. My friend said, “Time goes by so quickly!” I said, “Yeah, we only have one afternoon, so we should enjoy it!”
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