<p>Let me bring you another point here. It is also common that 只 is used to decorate a verb ( 得, 好, 有 ). When this case happens, you can <strong>NOT</strong> use these three words interchangeably. 
For example, </p>

<ol>
<li>我只得一百块钱: I only <strong>earn</strong> 100 rmb.</li>
<li>我只有一个儿子: I only <strong>have</strong> one son.</li>
<li>我只好(4th tone)这一口: I only <strong>like</strong> this ( often means some drink
    or food )</li>
</ol>

<p>You might see similar usages like</p>

<ol>
<li>我只买了顶帽子: I only <strong>buy</strong> a hat.</li>
<li>我只会睡觉: I only <strong>know</strong> how to sleep.</li>
<li>我只睡了3个钟头: I only <strong>sleep</strong> for 3 hours.</li>
<li>我只卖手机: I only <strong>sell</strong> cell phones.</li>
<li>我只告诉你: I only <strong>tell</strong> you ( this secret ).</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-18T22:22:55.947Z
2014-09-18T22:35:09.990Z
2014-09-18T22:35:09.990Z
pitfall
<p>When expressing the meaning "can do nothing but", I think there is not much difference among those three words.</p>

<p>我们只得按照要求去做。</p>

<p>我们只好按照要求去做。</p>

<p>我们只有按照要求去做。</p>

<p>Personally I think they are basically the same. Note that in "只好", the character "好" means "能" (can, able), i.e. "只好" is  "只能".</p>

<p>By the way, "只有" has other meanings than "can do nothing but", like "there's only" and "only have".</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-12T19:42:22.370Z
2014-09-12T19:42:22.370Z
bfrgzju
<p>只得, [be obliged to;have to;have no alternative but to] 别无选择，不得不</p>

<p>我们只得照要求的做了。
Source: <a href="http://baike.baidu.com/view/4174590.htm" rel="nofollow">http://baike.baidu.com/view/4174590.htm</a></p>

<p>只好 [be forced to;have to;the only alternative is to] 只有;只能. It is a little less formal than 只得.
河上没有桥,我们只好涉水过去</p>

<p>Source: <a href="http://baike.baidu.com/view/163453.htm" rel="nofollow">http://baike.baidu.com/view/163453.htm</a></p>

<hr>

<p>只有: only. 邮局离这儿只有几步路。</p>

<p>only when (when followed by 才), to indicate a necessary condition. 
只有依靠群众,才能做好普查工作.
Source: <a href="http://baike.baidu.com/view/199454.htm" rel="nofollow">http://baike.baidu.com/view/199454.htm</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-09-12T15:30:46.457Z
2014-09-12T15:30:46.457Z
George Chen
<p>I am studying 常用漢字 and I ran across the following meanings:</p>

<p>只得
只好
只有</p>

<p>All of which were translated with the same English meaning "can do nothing." What was not given is the context in which one would use one or the other of these phrases. Could someone explain when it is good to use one versus the other?</p>

<meaning-in-context>
只 zhǐ appropriate use in context?
# 只 zhǐ appropriate use in context?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-09-12)

I am studying 常用漢字 and I ran across the following meanings:

只得
只好
只有

All of which were translated with the same English meaning "can do nothing." What was not given is the context in which one would use one or the other of these phrases. Could someone explain when it is good to use one versus the other?

**Tags:** meaning-in-context

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## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-09-18. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

Let me bring you another point here. It is also common that 只 is used to decorate a verb ( 得, 好, 有 ). When this case happens, you can **NOT** use these three words interchangeably.
For example,

1. 我只得一百块钱: I only **earn** 100 rmb.
2. 我只有一个儿子: I only **have** one son.
3. 我只好(4th tone)这一口: I only **like** this ( often means some drink
   or food )

You might see similar usages like

1. 我只买了顶帽子: I only **buy** a hat.
2. 我只会睡觉: I only **know** how to sleep.
3. 我只睡了3个钟头: I only **sleep** for 3 hours.
4. 我只卖手机: I only **sell** cell phones.
5. 我只告诉你: I only **tell** you ( this secret ).


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### Answer by username_2 on 2014-09-12. Score: 2

When expressing the meaning "can do nothing but", I think there is not much difference among those three words.

我们只得按照要求去做。

我们只好按照要求去做。

我们只有按照要求去做。

Personally I think they are basically the same. Note that in "只好", the character "好" means "能" (can, able), i.e. "只好" is "只能".

By the way, "只有" has other meanings than "can do nothing but", like "there's only" and "only have".


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### Answer by username_3 on 2014-09-12. Score: 2

只得, [be obliged to;have to;have no alternative but to] 别无选择，不得不

我们只得照要求的做了。
Source: <http://baike.baidu.com/view/4174590.htm>

只好 [be forced to;have to;the only alternative is to] 只有;只能. It is a little less formal than 只得.
河上没有桥,我们只好涉水过去

Source: <http://baike.baidu.com/view/163453.htm>

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只有: only. 邮局离这儿只有几步路。

only when (when followed by 才), to indicate a necessary condition.
只有依靠群众,才能做好普查工作.
Source: <http://baike.baidu.com/view/199454.htm>


---

