zhǐ只shì是(Mandarin)(Cantonese)
Dictionary
merely; only; just; nothing but/simply/but; however
Examples
我只是想喝杯水，不用麻烦你了。
Wǒ zhǐ shì xiǎng hē bēi shuǐ, bù yòng máfan nǐ le.
→ I just want to drink a glass of water, no need to trouble you.
他只有五块钱，只能买个面包。
Tā zhǐ yǒu wǔ kuài qián, zhǐ néng mǎi ge miànbāo.
→ He only has five yuan, so he can only buy a bread.
这只是一个普通的苹果，不是特别的。
Zhè zhǐ shì yī gè pǔtōng de píngguǒ, bù shì tèbié de.
→ This is nothing but an ordinary apple, not special.
她只是笑了笑，没说什么。
Tā zhǐ shì xiào le xiào, méi shuō shénme.
→ She simply smiled and said nothing.
我想去，只是今天太忙了。
Wǒ xiǎng qù, zhǐ shì jīntiān tài máng le.
→ I want to go, but I'm too busy today.
Did You Know?
Word Formation
只 means 'only' and 是 means 'to be'.
Usage Tips
只是 can mean 'only' (只是看看 = just looking) or 'but' (很好，只是贵 = good, but expensive), depending on context.