How would you translate 有 in this sentence?

[anonymoose]

I was just browsing a few random pages on the web, and found this sentence on a CCTV page:

人只有改变自己才能改变别人。

Now I understand the meaning of this sentence, but if it were me writing Chinese, I would never have thought of using 有 in this construction.

Can anyone help me to understand the use of 有 here, and perhaps give some other examples where it is used in a similar way?

Thanks.

[Long Zhiren]

"有" is in context of the expression "只有." It means "only."

My translation of the sentence is:

"People only need to be able to change themselves before they can change anyone else."

Where do I get the "need to be" business? I suppose it's implied in context.

I just googled "只有" to get more examples of its use:

只有一个贝克汉姆_读书频道_新浪网

我的心里只有你没有他手机铃声|我的心里只有你没有他铃声下载.. (囉唆!)

我只有八岁李家同我是卢安达的一个小孩，我只有八岁.

没有客观只有平衡.

[ruoxuan]

only to change themselves can people change others.

you may like to understand it this way :

here "只有" means only (in some certain way)

"只有....,才...." is a conj pharse. "有" should not be separated from "只有" in this context。 it makes no sense if you say "人有改变自己才能改变别人"or "人只改变自己才能改变别人"。neither can "有" nor "只" exsits alone to make this sentence complete.

"有" when exsiting alone, means " has/have" on most occasions.

so try to remember "只有.....，才....."rather than "有" if you want to express the meaning: only in what way can sb do something。

here are some examples in my way:

我只有忘记过去，才能开始新的生活。

only getting over the past can i move on .

只有在巴黎，你才能买到那样的鞋

only in paris can you buy shoes like that.

Quote:

只有一个贝克汉姆_读书频道_新浪网

我的心里只有你没有他手机铃声|我的心里只有你没有他铃声下载.. (囉唆!)

我只有八岁李家同我是卢安达的一个小孩，我只有八岁.

没有客观只有平衡

1. ONE beckham ONlY !

2, I only have you in my heart.

3, I'm only eight.

4. No impersonality but balance.

"只有" are used simply as a adv. in these sentences to emphasize the tone or to embellish nouns or verbs. it means differently from the conj "只有...,才...."

i'm not sure i'm explaining it in the right english way. hope it helps a little.

[HashiriKata]

When 只有 is used, whatever that comes after it is considered to be the only possibility/ condition with which something else may happen/ materialize. Therefore:

人只有改变自己才能改变别人。

Only by changing oneself that one can (hope to) change others.

Here's another example of 只有:

只有下苦功才能成功。

Only if you work really hard that you can succeed.

[anonymoose]

Thanks guys. I didn't realise 有 was part of a fixed expression 只有. It makes a lot more sense now.

[weiming]

Ah...the identification of 只有 is spot on, but in your particular example, it's not entirely complete, it's part of a larger structure: (which like most Chinese frot/back if..then.. conditionals seems backwards and needlessly redundant.)

First you should know this structure, but don't get confused: 只有...(subject)能...(vb.)

This example means that something can only be done (vb.) by a particular person/thing, to the exclusion of others/ other things.

只有人类能说话----Only human beings can speak.　

只有老板能随便请假----Only (the) boss can ask for leave whenever he likes.

只有政府能利用恐怖分子的借口，去完成自己的目标----Only (the) government can use the excuse of terrorists to obtain their own objectives.

There's another structure (this makes sense in a bit, hang on). 有 (sub.)才能(vb.) That one thing/situation can only be done if something esle is first and/or simultaneously present .

有穷人才能有富人----The wealthy can only exist because of the poor.

有钱才能生活----One needs money to live.

有德才能做人----Only with values can one be upright.

And this (your) structure, that doing/accomplishing one thing is contingent upon the completion/continuation of something else. (谁)只有(vb.) 才能(vb.)

学生只有努力学习才能取得好成绩----Only by studying dilligently can students obtain good marks.

狼只有杀生才能维持生命----A wolf can only survive by killing.

帝国只有欺压别的国家才能存在----An empire can only exist by supressing other nations.

So there you go.

人只有改变自己才能改变别人

One can change others only [if/after/when] one has changed oneself.