What does it mean word for word?
The phrase consists of 很, which literally means "very". Note that 很 is often used as a grammatical filler in positive sentences even when no specific emphasis on "very" is intended.
Which one should you use?
Depending on the level of intensity and the setting, you might use different forms: 相当不错 means "quite good" or "pretty good", while 不错哦 is an informal way to say "not bad" or "pretty good". You can also use 还不错 informally to convey that something was "still good" or "okay".
Is it said differently in some regions?
In southern China, particularly in Guangdong province, people often use the Cantonese phrase 好正 to mean "very good" or "tasty".
How does it change in a sentence?
When using 很好 as an adjective-predicate sentence, you do not need to include a verb like "to be" (is/was).
How do you pronounce it?
hěn hǎo
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly place 是 before 很好 to mean "is/was very good". In Chinese, you should not use the verb 是 with an adjective in this manner.
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the character 好 is composed of the radicals for 'woman' and 'child', historically suggesting that having a woman and child together was 'good'.
- Depending on the tone and context, repeating 很好 as 很好很好 can actually sound sarcastic, implying that something is 'too good to be true' or mediocre.
- While 很好 is a general term, Chinese has specific 'good' words for different senses, such as 好看 for something that looks good and 好听 for something that sounds good.
Examples in context
- 我们的旅行非常好。(Wǒ men de lǚ xíng fēi cháng hǎo.)Our trip was amazing.
- 你的演讲相当不错。(Nǐ de yǎn jiǎng xiāng dāng bù cuò.)Your speech was quite good.
- 这本书还不错哦。(Zhè běn shū hái bú cuò ò.)This book is pretty good.
- 那部电影很好。Nà bù diànyǐng hěn hǎo.That movie was good.
- 昨天的演出很好。Zuótiān de yǎnchū hěn hǎo.Yesterday's performance was good.
- 这次旅行很好。Zhè cì lǚxíng hěn hǎo.This trip was good.
Example conversation
A man and a woman are discussing a recent concert they attended.
- 梓涵 Zihan昨天的音乐会很好吗？Zuótiān de yīnyuèhuì hěn hǎo ma?Was yesterday's concert good?
- 志强 Zhiqiang很好，非常精彩。Hěn hǎo, fēicháng jīngcǎi.It was good, very wonderful.
- 梓涵 Zihan志强，你喜欢那个歌手吗？Zhìqiáng, nǐ xǐhuān nàge gēshǒu ma?Zhiqiang, did you like that singer?
- 志强 Zhiqiang我很喜欢，演出很好。Wǒ hěn xǐhuān, yǎnchū hěn hǎo.I liked it a lot, the performance was good.
