就要...了 (about to)

• 拼音: jiù yào
• 结构: (Subject +) (Time +) 就要 + Verb + 了
• 汉字拆解: 就 = 京 (capital) + 尢 (lame); 要 = 西 (west) + 女 (woman)

含义

The pattern 就要...了 (jiù yào...le) expresses that something is about to happen very soon. It conveys a sense of imminence, similar to 'be about to' or 'be going to (very soon)' in English.

就要...了 emphasizes that an event is approaching rapidly and often carries a tone of anticipation, urgency, or emotional readiness. A specific time phrase can be placed before 就要 to state exactly when the event will occur, such as 明天就要走了. This pattern is stronger and more immediate than 要...了 alone, because 就 adds a sense of 'as soon as' or 'right away.' Compare with 快要...了, which stresses speed of approach, while 就要...了 can be paired with a definite time. Note that 快要 cannot take a specific time word before it, but 就要 can.

例句

1. 火车就要开了，我们快走吧。
2. 她下个月就要结婚了。
3. 考试就要开始了，大家安静。

用法指南

语境: spoken, written, everyday

语气: anticipatory

正确说法

• 飞机就要起飞了，请系好安全带。
• 春节就要到了，你买好年货了吗？
• 他们下周就要搬到新房子了。

错误说法

• 快要明天考试了。(快要 cannot be preceded by a specific time word — use 就要 instead when specifying a definite time) → 明天就要考试了。
• 火车就要开。(The sentence-final 了 is required to complete the imminent-future pattern — without it the sentence is grammatically incomplete) → 火车就要开了。
• 我就要了去北京。(了 must come at the end of the sentence, not between 就要 and the verb) → 我就要去北京了。

起源与历史

就 originally meant 'to approach' or 'to go toward,' and 要 means 'to want' or 'will.' Combined with sentence-final 了, the pattern grammaticalized into a near-future marker indicating imminent events, widely used across all registers of modern Mandarin.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal