How common it is
只是 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
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Pronunciation focus
Say zhǐshì slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
“只是”用来表示单纯的意思，强调某事仅限于此。
zhǐshì lái zhuǎn bù yòng biǎo shì chún dàn de yì思，jiāng měi gè shì qíng jǐn xiàn zhú cǐ。
"只是" is used to express a simple meaning, emphasizing that something is limited to this.
Context note
“只是”常用于日常生活对话中，比如解释原因或说明情况。
zhǐshì cháng yòng yú rì kāi shēn qíng huà huà zhōng ， bǐ 如此 dí yě shǔi jiě shì yuányīn huò shuō míng kuàng jíng。
"只是" is commonly used in daily conversations, such as explaining reasons or describing situations.
5 examples
这只是个玩笑。
zhè zhǐ shì gè wán xiào。
This is just a joke.
我只是想休息一下。
wǒ zhǐ shì xiǎng xiū xi yí xià。
I only wanted to rest for a while.
只是天气不好，我们不能去公园。
zhǐ shì tiān qì bù hǎo， wǒ men bù néng qù gōng yuán。
It's just that the weather is bad, so we can't go to the park.
这只是一个小问题。
zhè zhǐ shì yí gè xiǎo wèn tí。
This is just a small problem.
我只是个孩子。
wǒ zhǐ shì gè hái zi。
I am just a child.
5 mini stories
妈妈只是想让你早点睡觉。你不要生气。
mā ma zhǐ shì xiǎng ràng nǐ zǎo diǎn shuì jiào。 nǐ bú yào shēng qì。
Mom just wants you to go to bed early. Don't be angry.
我只是个新手，还有很多要学习的地方。
wǒ zhǐ shì gè xīn shǒu， hái yǒu hěn duō yào xué xí de dì fāng。
I am just a beginner, and there's still much to learn.
只是下雨了，我们还是可以去图书馆的。
zhǐ shì xià yǔ le， wǒ men hái shì kě yǐ qù tú shū guǎn de。
It's just raining, but we can still go to the library.
我只是想帮你一下。你不用谢我。
wǒ zhǐ shì xiǎng bāng nǐ yí xià。 nǐ bú yòng xiè wǒ。
I only wanted to help you. You don't have to thank me.
这只是个误会，没什么大不了的。
zhè zhǐ shì gè wù huì， méi shén me dà bù liǎo de。
This is just a misunderstanding, nothing serious.