| 释义 |
 | 才1 | | cái | 名 | | | 1 ability; talent; gift: | | | 他很有才。 He is highly gifted. |
| 2 capable person: | | | 人才 talented person; talent |
| 3 people of a certain type [often used as a suffix]: | | | 奴才 lackey |
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| 才2 | | cái | 副 | | | 1 a moment ago; just: | | | 你怎么才来就要走？ You've only just come, but now you want to leave? | | | 他才回到家里，老徐就来找他了。 He had just got home when Lao Xu came looking for him. |
| 2 [preceded by an expression of time] not until: | | | 他走了两个钟头才走到。 It took him two hours to get there. | | | 雨直到第二天早上才停。 The rain didn't stop until the next morning. |
| 3 [preceded by an expression of reason or condition] not unless; not until; then and only then; for no other reason: | | | 他说行才行。 It's alright only if he says so. | | | 他吃了三碗饭才饱。 He felt full only after he had eaten three bowls of rice. | | | 正因为有困难，才派我们去。 We were sent there precisely because there were problems. | | | 只有抄近道才能赶上头班车。 We must take the shortcut to catch the first bus. |
| 4 [followed by a numerical expression] only: | | | 才五块钱吗？ 真便宜。 Only five yuan? That's really cheap. | | | 现在才八点钟，还早着呢。 It's only 8 o'clock, so it's still early. | | | 这孩子才五岁，已经认得不少字了。 The child is only five, and he already knows quite a few characters. |
| 5 [in an assertion or negation, emphasizing what comes before 才，usu. with 呢 at the end of the sentence] actually; really: | | | 这才好呢！ Now this is really good! | | | 你才是撒谎！ You are the one who's lying. | | | 我才懒得管呢！ I can't be bothered! or I couldn't care less. | | | 他要是不知道才怪呢！ I'd be really surprised if he didn't know. | | | 你以为他傻吗？ 他才不傻呢！ You think he's stupid? Not him! |
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