听起来不错
tīng qǐlái bùcuò
The English phrase 'sounds good' is translated into Mandarin as 听起来不错 (tīng qǐlái bùcuò).
You can use this phrase to express agreement with a proposal, a plan or an idea that has just been described.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of 听 (to listen), 起来 (a directional complement indicating the start or manner of an action) and 不错 (not bad or good).
Which one should you use?
While 听起来不错 means 'sounds good' or 'sounds not bad', the phrase 听起来很好 is a stronger expression meaning 'sounds very good' or 'sounds great'. Additionally, in many contexts, the word 不错 can be used on its own to mean 'good' or 'pretty good' without the 'sounds like' part.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the complement 起来 to indicate how something appears or feels based on sensory perception, specifically in this case, based on hearing.
How do you pronounce it?
tīng qǐlái bùcuò
Did you know?
- The word 听 (to listen) is also the root of the word for 'obey' in Mandarin. This creates a conceptual link where 'listening' to a suggestion is tied to the act of following or agreeing to it.
- In Chinese, the phrase 不错 (bùcuò) literally translates to 'not wrong'. While English speakers use 'not bad' to mean 'okay', a Chinese speaker using 'not wrong' is often giving a genuine compliment.
- While 听起来不错 focuses on hearing, you can swap 听 (listen) for 看起来 (look) to say 'looks good' when seeing a plan on paper or a photo of a destination.
Examples in context
- 听起来不错。Sounds good.Tatoeba #10783861 by megamanenm, translation #9709609 by megamanenm
- 这个提议听起来不错。Zhè ge tíyì tīng qǐlái bùcuò.This proposal sounds good.
- 那个主意听起来不错。Nàge zhǔyì tīng qǐlái bùcuò.That idea sounds good.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- 浩然 Haoran我们去吃四川菜吧。Wǒmen qù chī Sìchuān cài ba.Let's go eat Sichuan food.
- 雨婷 Yuting听起来不错，我正好想吃辣的。Tīng qǐlái bùcuò, wǒ zhènghǎo xiǎng chī là de.Sounds good, I happen to want something spicy.
- 浩然 Haoran那我们六点在店门口见。Nà wǒmen liù diǎn zài diàn ménkǒu jiàn.Then let's meet at the shop entrance at six.
- 雨婷 Yuting没问题，到时候见。Méi wèntí, dào shíhòu jiàn.No problem, see you then.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
