Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 不錯 / 不错 | bùcuò |
| 不賴 / 不赖 | bùlài |
The phrase is used to describe something that is reasonably good. 不錯 can be used as a standalone response to a question about quality or status, similar to how an English speaker says 'Not bad' to mean 'It's good'.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 不錯 / 不错 is composed of 不 (not) and 錯 (wrong/error).
Which one should you use?
While 不錯 / 不错 literally means 'not wrong', it is the standard way to say 'pretty good' or 'not bad' in a positive sense. In contrast, 不賴 / 不赖 is a more colloquial or informal way to say 'not bad'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a formal way to express the sentiment of 'not bad' by emphasizing something is not terribly negative, you can use 不算糟糕. In relaxed settings, you might use the informal expressions 挺好的 (meaning 'not bad' or 'pretty good'), 还不错哦 (meaning 'not bad') or 算不错了 (meaning 'not bad').
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding 挺…的 (tǐng…de) around 不錯 makes the phrase sound more natural and emphasizes the degree, meaning 'quite good'.
How do you pronounce it?
bùcuò
Did you know?
- The phrase 不錯 (bùcuò) is a classic example of litotes, a figure of speech where you express an affirmative by denying its opposite. This avoids the appearance of being boastful or overly aggressive, which is a common cultural preference in Chinese communication.
- The word 錯 in 不錯 is also used in 錯過 to mean 'missing' a train or an opportunity. Here, it describes the act of 'passing by' rather than making an error.
- The more colloquial version, 不賴 (bùlài), carries a historical nuance of describing something as 'not shabby' or 'not poor' in quality. It is used when you want to express that something is surprisingly decent.
Examples in context
- 你的演讲不错！Your speech is not bad!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “not bad” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
