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What is 就 doing here? And why is the sentence 然后特朗普就赢得了选举。 so short? What is the proper translation here?

那位在场人士说，会议之后，许多人都认为班农的策略是在发疯。然后特朗普就赢得了选举。现在我们可以说，特朗普在许多方面都堪称第一位真正的硅谷初创公司候选人和总统。

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    I would translated into "What happened next was Trump won the election." In this case, 就 means "next; then" in terms of sequence of events instead of causality. "A. 然后就B" is akin to "A happened. And then B happened." in English. Whether there's a relationship between A and B is left to be explained or not.
    – NS.X.
    Mar 11, 2017 at 19:34
  • "Next" is a nice translation. Much better then "then" :) Thanks. But now I wonder Is "next" a real and a proper variant of a translation for 就. Any examples where 就 acts as next but not as "then" ?
    – coobit
    Mar 12, 2017 at 15:38
  • If you look at the original text which is in English, it is "then", and I believe my previous interpretation still holds. "After that meeting, many thought Mr. Bannon’s strategy was crazy, the person who was present said. Then Mr. Trump won the election. And now we can argue that Mr. Trump is, in many ways, the first genuine Silicon Valley start-up candidate and president." nytimes.com/2017/03/08/business/…
    – NS.X.
    Mar 13, 2017 at 0:34

3 Answers 3

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漢典 就〈副〉(6)

用在动词前面，表示在某种条件或情况下自然怎么样。
[without…there can be no]
如：不斗争，就不能前进。

《现代汉语词典》Page 697 ❼ 副 d) also shows some examples.

就-2.png

There is not problem about the Chinese explanation above. 就 is an adverb here.
However, I would say, "after...then..." or "because...then..." for the English translation.
After A happened, then B happened.
Because A ..., B then ....

会议之后，许多人都认为班农的策略是在发疯。然后特朗普就赢得了选举。

After 许多人都认为班农的策略是在发疯. And, 特朗普 then 赢得了选举.
After many people thought that the strategy of Bannon was crazy, (and) Trump then won the election.

Because 许多人都认为班农的策略是在发疯, 特朗普 then 赢得了选举.
Because many people thought that the strategy of Bannon was crazy, Trump then won the election.

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  • In "Because A, B then ..." So you stress that there is a CASUAL link between people not beliving in strategy of Bannon and Trump winning? It doesn't make sence. In case of "after A, then B", it makes some sence, but still the wording in the article sounds clumsy to me.
    – coobit
    Mar 12, 2017 at 15:34
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zdic.net has for 就： 依照现有情况或趁着当前的便利，顺便

【依照现有情况】or【趁着当前的便利】or【顺便】为【就】

‘情况’是：‘许多人都认为班农的策略是在发疯。’

在【依照现有情况】换了‘现有’为‘当时，那时’

然后特朗普【就】赢得了选举。

then： as a conjunction, "in that case, therefore,"

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  • Are you sayng that 就 in this example should be translated as 顺便 (without an effort)? So "Everyone thought that Bannon is crazy and trump wins easily (contrary to expectations).
    – coobit
    Mar 12, 2017 at 15:41
  • I'm no expert, I just looked up 就。 zdic.net wrote that for a reason. It makes sense to me. Recently, I find, some Chinese words carry a lot more meaning than one might think. If you simply think 就 = then, you may be missing something. This 就 I think is: 依照当时情况
    – Pedroski
    Mar 12, 2017 at 23:55
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After long research I came to the conlusion that 就 simply means "and". There are many "and" in Chinese (跟,及,并,与 ect.) and 就 is just another one with a slight semantic shift into "already" meaning.

So the sentence 然后特朗普就赢得了选举 should be literaly translated as:

"And after (that) Trump won the elections."

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