很好
hěn hǎo
很好 (hěn hǎo) is the Chinese phrase for "very good".
很好 is used to describe something of high quality or a situation that is satisfactory.
Which one should you use?
While 很好 means "very good", using only 好 as a predicate to describe something often sounds incomplete or overly emphatic in neutral statements. If you want to convey a stronger sense of being "excellent" or "outstanding", you might use 优秀. For an informal way to say something is "especially great" or "fantastic", use 特别棒.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase 很好, the word 很 means "very". In Chinese, 很 is often used as a grammatical filler even when the intensity of "very" is not being specifically emphasized. When using 很好 as a predicate to describe a noun, do not use the verb 是 (to be) before it.
How do you pronounce it?
hěn hǎo
Did you know?
- The character 好 in 很好 is composed of two parts: 'woman' and 'child'. This historical construction reflects ancient cultural ideals of harmony and family.
- If a Chinese speaker repeats the word 好 as 好好, it stops meaning 'very good' and instead becomes an adverb meaning 'properly' or 'carefully'.
- In Chinese, saying something is 很好 can sometimes be a polite way of indicating that it is merely 'average' or 'acceptable' depending on the speaker's tone and facial expression.
Examples in context
- 他的數學很好。He is very good at math.This sentence is useful for describing someone's ability in a subject using 很好.Tatoeba #3706726 by egg0073, translation #5574907 by n1ls
- 你看上去很好。You look very good.This sentence is useful for describing someone's appearance using 很好.Tatoeba #5091401 by mirrorvan, translation #1935382 by Spamster
- 你的解釋很好。Your explanation is very good.This sentence is useful for describing the quality of an explanation using 很好.Tatoeba #5685445 by xjjAstrus, translation #7801501 by sharris123
- 你的答案很好！Your answer is very good!
- 这是一份优秀的报告！This is an excellent report!
- 电影非常好看！The movie is very good!
- 这个游戏特别棒！This game is fantastic!
- 49 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zihan and Junjie are discussing a movie they just watched.
- 梓涵 Zihan你覺得這部電影怎麼樣？Nǐ juéde zhè bù diànyǐng zěnmeyàng?What did you think of this movie?
- 俊杰 Junjie我覺得劇情很好。Wǒ juéde jùqíng hěn hǎo.I think the plot was very good.
- 梓涵 Zihan我也這麼覺得，演員演得也很棒。Wǒ yě zhème juéde, yǎnyuán yǎn de yě hěn bàng.I agree, the actors were also great.
- 俊杰 Junjie對，這是一個很好的選擇。Duì, zhè shì yí gè hěn hǎo de xuǎnzé.Yes, it was a very good choice.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
