HSK 3Lesson 40
On a Sunday morning two weeks before the Spring Festival, Yixue leads the class to the park next to campus to clean it up for a class project. Annie wants to sleep, Xiaoxue doubts it will matter, and an old man has one thing to say about Annie's bottle.
You will learn to talk about the environment of a place, say what is the only way and what is enough to make something happen, and say what a rule or a source says.
Part 1 · 7 new words
Contains 3 words
environment; circumstances
quiet; peaceful
size
Contains 4 words
according to; based on
only have ...; there is only ...
Part 2 · 9 phrases
只有走路去，才能看到路上的小店。
Only by walking there can you see the little shops on the way.
只有自己做过，才知道这个工作有多难。
Only after doing it yourself do you know how hard this job is.
只要你有时间，就来我家吃饭。
As long as you have time, come to my place for dinner.
只要不下雨，我们每个星期天都去公园打球。
As long as it doesn't rain, we go and play ball in the park every Sunday.
下雨的话，我们就在家看电影。
If it rains, we'll watch a movie at home.
根据地图，从这儿到学校走路要二十分钟。
According to the map, it takes twenty minutes on foot from here to the school.
Part 3 · 4 conversations
The class meets at the park gate on a Sunday morning. Yixue has a plan from Teacher Wang, and Annie only wants to go back to bed.
王一雪Wang Yixue
到了！王老师说这次的作业跟环境有关系，我们要把这个公园打扫干净。
We're here! Teacher Wang says the homework this time has to do with the environment: we have to clean this park.
安妮Annie
今天是星期天啊……我昨天看电影看到十二点，还想睡觉呢。
Part 4 · 2 points
只有……，才……
Use 只有zhǐyǒu + condition + 才cái + result to say that this one condition, and no other, makes it happen.
The only way
只有……才…… (zhǐyǒu... cái...) says one condition and no other leads to the result.
if only; so long as
if (after a condition)
我喜欢这个小区，环境好，晚上也很安静。
I like this neighborhood: the environment is nice and it's quiet at night too.
这两件衣服大小不一样，你试试哪件合适。
These two pieces of clothing differ in size, so try which one fits.
孩子睡了，你说话小声一点儿，让家里安静一会儿。
The kid is asleep, so talk softly and let the house be quiet for a while.
But it's Sunday... I watched a movie until midnight last night, and I still want to sleep.
李文Li Wen
先看看门口这张纸。根据公园的要求，脏东西要放进门口的箱子里。
Let's read the paper at the gate first. According to the park's rules, dirty things go into the box at the gate.
王一雪Wang Yixue
李文真认真！
Li Wen is so careful!
安妮Annie
好了好了，我不睡了。我拿什么？
All right, all right, I'm awake. What do I carry?
王一雪Wang Yixue
你拿这个箱子，我写名单。
You carry this box, and I'll write the list.
安妮Annie
我拿箱子，你写名单？你只写名单，不做事吗？
I carry the box and you write the list? Do you only write and not work?
Inside the park it is quiet and huge. Annie is surprised by its size, and Xiaoxue does not think four students can make a difference.
安妮Annie
这公园真安静！
This park is so quiet!
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
这么早，又是星期天，一个人也没有。
It's early, and it's Sunday, so of course there's nobody.
安妮Annie
它比我想的大多了。这个大小，我们四个人要做到什么时候？
It's much bigger than I thought. With this size, how long will it take the four of us?
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
就是啊。这么大的公园，我们几个人能做什么？我觉得没有用。
Exactly. In a park this big, what can a few of us do? I don't think it'll matter.
王一雪Wang Yixue
只有我们每个人都做一点儿，公园才会干净。
Only if each of us does a little will the park get clean.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
可是每个人也只有一双手啊。
But each person only has one pair of hands.
李文Li Wen
一个人做一点儿，也比不做好。
One person doing a little is still better than doing nothing.
Yixue explains the plan, and Li Wen adds a condition. Then Annie grabs an empty-looking bottle and meets its owner.
王一雪Wang Yixue
只要每个来公园的人都带走一点儿脏东西，公园就会干净。
As long as everyone who comes to the park takes away a little dirt, the park will be clean.
李文Li Wen
如果每个星期天都有人来的话，一个月就不一样了。
If someone came every Sunday, a month would make a difference.
安妮Annie
看，这儿有个瓶子！我来拿！
Look, there's a bottle here! I'll get it!
老人Old man
孩子，那是我的，我在那边运动呢，瓶子里还有茶。
Kid, that's mine. I'm exercising over there, and there's still tea in it.
安妮Annie
啊，对不起！我以为是不要的东西。
Oh, sorry! I thought it was something someone didn't want.
老人Old man
没关系。你们是学生吧？这么早来打扫，真不容易。
It's fine. You're students, right? It's not easy to come and clean this early.
王一雪Wang Yixue
是我们的作业，也是为了大家。
It's our homework, and also for everyone.
A little girl has joined the cleaning, and by noon the park is clean. Everyone is tired, and Yixue is already writing the next plan.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
你们看那个小女孩儿！她也在帮我们拿东西呢。
Look at that little girl! She's helping us carry things too.
安妮Annie
她拿得真多！
She carries so much!
王一雪Wang Yixue
人一多，大家都想做。你看，十二点还没到，公园就干净了。
Once there are more people, everyone wants to help. Look, it isn't even twelve and the park is clean.
刘小雪Liu Xiaoxue
我错了。只要大家一起做，一个小公园也能有大的变化。
I was wrong. As long as everyone does it together, even a small park can change a lot.
安妮Annie
现在我不睡了，我只想吃饭。
Now I'm not sleepy, I only want lunch.
王一雪Wang Yixue
先别走，我要把下个星期天的事写在本子上。
Don't leave yet, I need to write next Sunday's plan in my notebook.
安妮Annie
还有下个星期天？我也来，不过要十点以后！
There's a next Sunday? I'll come too, but only after ten!
In the park Yixue says 只有我们每个人都做一点儿，公园才会干净zhǐyǒu wǒmen měi ge rén dōu zuò yìdiǎnr, gōngyuán cái huì gānjìng to answer Xiaoxue's doubt.
In sentences
Advice
你只有多说，才能说得好。
Only by speaking more can you speak well.
The subject can come before 只有zhǐyǒu.
Contrast with 只要
只要多说，就能说得好。
As long as you speak more, you'll speak well.
Here 只要zhǐyào and 就jiù say the condition is enough, not the only one.
只有北京的店有这个，你才能买到。
Only the shops in Beijing have this, so only there can you buy it.
A：你的汉语怎么这么好？ B：只有天天说，才能说得好。
A: How is your Chinese so good? B: Only by speaking every day can you get good.
只有多睡觉，你的病才会好。
Only if you sleep more will your illness get better.
只有大家一起做，这个公园才会越来越干净。
Only if we all do it together will this park get cleaner and cleaner.
我们只有去公园，才能看到这么多花。
We can only see this many flowers if we go to the park.
The pattern 只有……才…… (zhǐyǒu... cái...) means that only this condition works. 只有zhǐyǒu comes before the condition, and 才cái comes before the result, so the result happens only when the condition is met: 只有天天练习，才能学好zhǐyǒu tiān tiān liànxí, cái néng xué hǎo. It is used for the one and only way, often to give advice or to explain why something is hard. It can open a sentence or follow the subject: 你只有多说，才能说好nǐ zhǐyǒu duō shuō, cái néng shuō hǎo. The key constraint is that 才cái must appear in the result clause, and you cannot replace it with 就jiù, because 就jiù belongs to 只要zhǐyào. A common mistake is to use 就jiù: ✗ 只有天天练习，就能学好zhǐyǒu tiān tiān liànxí, jiù néng xué hǎo, ✓ 只有天天练习，才能学好zhǐyǒu tiān tiān liànxí, cái néng xué hǎo.
只要……，就……
Use 只要zhǐyào + condition + 就jiù + result to say that this one thing is enough to make the result happen.
One thing is enough
只要……就…… (zhǐyào... jiù...) says one condition is enough to bring the result.
Yixue's plan in the park: 只要每个来公园的人都带走一点儿脏东西，公园就会干净zhǐyào měi ge lái gōngyuán de rén dōu dài zǒu yìdiǎnr zāng dōngxi, gōngyuán jiù huì gānjìng.
In sentences
Promise
只要你喜欢，我就买。
As long as you like it, I'll buy it.
The result is a promise.
Contrast with 只有
只有你喜欢，我才买。
Only if you like it will I buy it.
Here 只有zhǐyǒu and 才cái say the condition is the only one.
只要明天不忙，我就去找你。
As long as I'm not busy tomorrow, I'll come and see you.
A：我的汉语能学好吗？ B：只要你天天学，就一定能学好。
A: Can I learn Chinese well? B: As long as you study every day, you surely can.
只要有时间，他就会去爬山。
As long as he has time, he goes hiking.
只要大家一起做，公园就会干净。
As long as everyone does it together, the park will be clean.
只要是妈妈做的饭，刘小雪就吃得很开心。
As long as it's her mom's cooking, Xiaoxue eats happily.
The pattern 只要……就…… (zhǐyào... jiù...) means that a condition is enough: if it is met, the result follows. 只要zhǐyào comes before the condition and 就jiù comes before the result: 只要你来，就可以zhǐyào nǐ lái, jiù kěyǐ. It is the easy-to-meet cousin of 只有……才…… (zhǐyǒu... cái...): 只有zhǐyǒu says it is the only way, while 只要zhǐyào says it is enough but there may be other ways. It is used for promises, reassurance and plans: 只要天气好，我们就去zhǐyào tiānqì hǎo, wǒmen jiù qù. The key constraint is that the result clause takes 就jiù and not 才cái. A common mistake is to use 才cái: ✗ 只要你来，才可以zhǐyào nǐ lái, cái kěyǐ, ✓
我错了。只要大家一起做，一个小公园也能有大的变化。
I was wrong. As long as everyone does it together, even a small park can change a lot.
Why it matters · Xiaoxue uses 只要zhǐyào to say she has changed her mind: working together is enough to change a small park.
