...要....才能...

[Flickserve]

I came across this sentence

 

她需要不停地跑动才能接到对面来的球

 

She had to run a lot but was unable to reach the balls coming from the opponent.

 

I can't quite get the ...要....才能... expression especially the context of being unable to do an action.

 

Is there a better English translation?

 

Any other examples of simple sentences using this structure?

 

It's not in my 330 Common Chinese Patterns, and I failed to find the relevant section in wiki grammar.

[陳德聰]

This is just a simple 才-construction though. Where did you get this translation from? I don’t think this sentence explicitly comments on whether or not she 接到了對面來的球.

 

“She needed to run non-stop in order to be able to receive/catch/block the balls coming from the opposing team (and that was the only way to be able to do so; any less than running non-stop would not cut it)” ** though the English here seems to kind of imply she did run non-stop.

 

If it’s in the context of being unable to do an action, then it just means the translation should come out as “she would have needed to run non-stop in order to...” which implies that she did not run non-stop.

[Publius]

The English translation is not right.

才 = 先至 only then

This is an extended use of 才 for lateness: https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_lateness_with_"cai"

The most relevant grammar wiki page seems to be https://resources.allsetlearning.com/chinese/grammar/Expressing_"only_if"_with_"zhiyou"

Hope that helps.

[889]

[rethink]

 

 

[Flickserve]

I was originally trying to say in the context of a match, "she was running all over the court trying to get back the opponent's shots"

 

I got flummoxed into trying to think in chinese and could not work out how to express the meaning.