才 and 就 express the speaker''s attitude about timing:
• 才 = Later than expected, only then, as late as
• 就 = Sooner than expected, already, as early as
He didn''t come until 8 o''clock (late).
He came as early as 8 o''clock.
Same objective fact, different subjective attitude.
才 sentences usually don''t end with 了
- ✅ 他才來 (He just now came)
- ✅ 他就來了 (He came already)
才 implies difficulty or delay
- 我學了三年才會說 = It took 3 years before I could speak
就 implies ease or speed
- 我學了三個月就會說了 = After just 3 months I could speak
Why are you only now telling me?
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