最好
zuì hǎo
The English word 'best' is translated into Chinese as 最好 (zuì hǎo).
最好 is primarily used as the superlative of the adjective 'good'. Depending on its position in a sentence, it can function in two ways: it can mean 'the best' as an adjective or it can act as an adverb meaning 'had better' or 'it would be best to' when placed before a verb to give advice.
Meaning: superlative of the adjective good (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 最好 is composed of 最, which means 'most' and 好, which means 'good'.
Which one should you use?
While 最好 can function as the adjective 'the best', it can also function as the adverb 'had better' depending on the sentence structure.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express 'the best' as an adjective, 最好 is often used with the particle 的 to form 最好的.
How do you pronounce it?
zuì hǎo
Did you know?
- In Chinese internet slang, the phrase yyds is often used instead of 最好 to mean 'the greatest of all time', standing for 永远的神 (yǒng yuǎn de shén) or 'eternal god'.
- While 最好 means 'the best', if you want to say someone is 'the best' in a more enthusiastic or slangy way, you might use 牛 (niú), which literally translates to 'cow'.
- In Chinese, calling someone 'the best' can be expressed by the phrase 最棒, where 棒 literally means 'a stick' or 'a club'.
Examples in context
- 我是最好的。I am the best.This sentence shows how to use 最好 to mean 'the best'.Tatoeba #409665 by egg0073, translation #409664 by CN
- 这是最好的。This is the best.Tatoeba #5983570 by verdastelo9604, translation #1898091 by CK
- 哪些是最好的？Which are the best ones?Tatoeba #11321735 by untruth0423, translation #1078276 by CM
- 他是这个职位的最好人选He is the best candidate for this position.
- 你可以选择最佳答案You can choose the best answer.
- 这是我吃过的最棒的披萨This is the best pizza I've ever had.
- 这是我最好的朋友This is my best friend.
- 143 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yuting and Wei are choosing a restaurant for dinner.
- 雨婷 Yuting你觉得哪家餐厅最好？Nǐ juédé nǎ jiā cāntīng zuìhǎo?Which restaurant do you think is the best?
- 伟 Wei我觉得那家面馆最好。Wǒ juédé nà jiā miànguǎn zuìhǎo.I think that noodle shop is the best.
- 雨婷 Yuting太好了，我们去那里吧。Tài hǎole, wǒmen qù nàlǐ ba.Great, let's go there.
- 伟 Wei好的，现在就走。Hǎo de, xiànzài jiù zǒu.Okay, let's go now.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
