used when you want to emphasize how small, unimportant, etc. somebody/something is 僅僅的；只不過 used when you are saying that the fact that a particular thing is present in a situation is enough to have an influence on that situation 只憑…就足以 His mere presence (= just the fact that he was there) made her feel afraid. 他當時在場，這就足以讓她害怕了。 The mere fact that they were prepared to talk was encouraging. 他們願意商談，這就很不錯了。 The mere thought of eating made him feel sick. 他一想到吃東西就覺得惡心。 The merest (= the slightest) hint of smoke is enough to make her feel ill. 最細微的一絲煙就能使她感到不舒服。
Word Originadjective late Middle English (in the senses ‘pure’ and ‘sheer, downright’): from Latin merus ‘undiluted’.