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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'to remain' with 剩 (shèng)

    Existence & Possession
    Numbers & Quantity

    Structure

    只 + 剩 + Amount + 了

    Explanation

    剩 (shèng) is a verb meaning "to remain," "to be left over," or "to have remaining." It indicates what is left after others have been used or taken, and often appears with 只 (zhǐ, "only") to emphasize scarcity, as in 只剩一个 (zhǐ shèng yí ge, "only one is left").

    Examples

    • 冰箱里只剩两个鸡蛋了。

      Bīngxiāng lǐ zhǐ shèng liǎng gè jīdàn le.

      There are only two eggs left in the fridge.

    • 离考试只剩三天了，你准备好了吗？

      Lí kǎoshì zhǐ shèng sān tiān le, nǐ zhǔnbèi hǎo le ma?

      There are only three days left until the exam — are you ready?

    • 蛋糕还剩一块，你要不要吃？

      Dàngāo hái shèng yī kuài, nǐ yào bù yào chī?

      There's one piece of cake left — do you want it?

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    Expressing 'to remain' with 剩 (shèng) | Chinese Grammar