▎因為 A 才 B, (yīnwèi (Conj) A cái (Adv) B), only because A, B...; B is true, only since A is like this

 

Function This pattern stresses that an instance happened only because of a particular reason. This is a typical cause-effect construction.

1 因為賣保險，收入不穩定，她才想換工作的。

Yīnwèi mài bǎoxiǎn, shōurù bù wěndìng, tā cái xiǎng huàn gōngzuò de.

She only wants to change jobs because she sells insurance and her income isn’t stable.

2 因為教室裡沒人，我才把冷氣關掉。

Yīnwèi jiàoshì lǐ méi rén, wǒ cái bǎ lěngqì guāndiào.

I turned the air conditioner off, because there was no one in the classroom.

3 美美條件很好。因為工作一直很忙，才到現在還沒結婚。

Měiměi tiáojiàn hěn hǎo. Yīnwèi gōngzuò yìzhí hěn máng, cái dào xiànzài hái méi jiéhūn.

Meimei is a great catch. She’s still unmarried only because she’s always been busy at work.

4 因為工作壓力太大，健康出了問題，他才決定回鄉下種田的。

Yīnwèi gōngzuò yālì tài dà, jiànkāng chūle wèntí, tā cái juédìng huí xiāngxià zhòng tián de.

Stress from work caused him to have health issues, so he decided to go back to his village and work the fields.

5 因為他不但熱心，而且成績好，才拿到獎學金的。

Yīnwèi tā búdàn rèxīn, érqiě chéngjī hǎo, cái nádào jiǎngxuéjīn de.

He got a scholarship because he is both enthusiastic and has good grades.

 

Usage 才 can only be used in a sentence that describes a past instance. The 因為 A 所以 B pattern is used to indicate cause and effect. It is not necessarily used for instances that have already happened.

1 A：你不是最喜歡看煙火的嗎？怎麼沒去？

Nǐ búshì zuì xǐhuān kàn yānhuǒ de ma? Zěnme méi qù?

Don’t you love fireworks? Why didn’t you go?

B：因為我不舒服，才沒去看煙火的。

Yīnwèi wǒ bù shūfú, cái méi qù kàn yānhuǒ de.

I didn’t go, because I didn’t feel well.

2 A：你明天為什麼不去看煙火了？

Nǐ míngtiān wèishénme bú qù kàn yānhuǒ le?

Why aren’t you going to see the fireworks tomorrow?

B：因為要去女朋友家，所以不能去看煙火了。

Yīnwèi yào qù nǚpéngyǒu jiā, suǒyǐ bù néng qù kàn yānhuǒ le.

I’m not going, because I’m going to my girlfriend’s house.