做得好
zuò de hǎo
In Mandarin, "well done" is expressed as 做得好 (zuò de hǎo).
Depending on the context and desired level of emphasis, there are several ways to express praise: 太棒了 is equivalent to "great job" and is used among friends and family. 好厉害 is used to praise someone's skills or achievements. And 弄得不错 is a colloquial way to say "well done". For a more formal way to emphasize that something was completed exceptionally well, you can use 完成得很出色.
Meaning: exclamation of praise (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 做得好 is composed of the verb 做 (to do), the structural particle 得 (indicating degree or manner) and the adjective 好 (good/well).
Which one should you use?
While 做得好 can be used as an exclamation of praise, it is more commonly used as a descriptive phrase within a sentence (e.g., 'He did well') rather than a standalone shout of encouragement compared to English.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Replacing 好 (good) with 不错 (not bad) is a very common way to express that someone did a good job in a slightly more natural, conversational way to say 做得不错, which means "did quite well".
How do you pronounce it?
zuò de hǎo
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use 做得好 to describe meat that is cooked well. Instead, use 全熟.
Did you know?
- The expression 太棒了 used for 'great job' uses the word 棒 ('bàng'), which literally means 'a club' or 'a stick'. Over time, it evolved from describing something solid and sturdy to describing a person's performance.
- In Chinese culture, high praise like 做得好 is sometimes met with a polite denial. It is common for a person to respond with 哪里哪里 to show modesty instead of saying 'thank you'.
- The word 出色 (chū sè) in the formal phrase 完成得很出色 literally translates to 'out of color', implying that the achievement stands out vividly from its surroundings.
Examples in context
- 做得好！Well done!This is useful for seeing how to use the phrase 做得好 as an exclamation.Tatoeba #4261676 by egg0073, translation #464478 by lukaszpp
- 学习成绩很出色，做得好！Your academic performance is excellent, well done!
- 比赛中你太棒了！You were amazing in the game, well done!
- 你这次做得好。Nǐ zhè cì zuò de hǎo.You did well this time.
- 这次你做得好！Zhè cì nǐ zuò de hǎo!You did a great job this time!
Example conversation
Hao Ran is praising Xiao Wen for her presentation.
- 浩然 Haoran你的报告做得好！Nǐ de bào gào zuò dé hǎo!Your report was well done!
- 晓雯 Xiaowen谢谢你，浩然。Xiè xie nǐ, Hào rán.Thank you, Hao Ran.
- 浩然 Haoran内容非常清晰。Nèi róng fēi cháng qīng xī.The content was very clear.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我准备了很久。Wǒ zhǔn bèi le hěn jiǔ.I prepared for a long time.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
