HSK 4 grammar · conjunction
只有…才
只有…才… — only if… then
Pattern
+ +
( ) can be left out · other words may come before, between and after
How it works
States the sole necessary condition (after 只有) under which the result (after 才) can occur — the result is impossible without it. Contrast with 只要…就 (as long as A, then B), which gives a sufficient condition; 只有…才 gives a necessary one.
Examples
只有多练习，才能说好中文。
Zhǐyǒu duō liànxí, cái néng shuō hǎo Zhōngwén.
Only by practicing a lot can you speak Chinese well.
只有他同意，我们才能开始。
Zhǐyǒu tā tóngyì, wǒmen cái néng kāishǐ.
Only if he agrees can we begin.
Related
See it in a story
In the app, 只有…才 is underlined wherever it appears in the stories you read, and practised with sentences from them. Free.