Whenever you want to imply that something is "good," but also kind of
"meh," you can use 还 (hái) in front of the "good" adjective.

Commonly Used Expressions
-------------------------

Besides expressing [continuation](Continuation_with_"hai" "wikilink"),
还 (hái) can also be used to weaken positive adjectives. Used with the
adjective "good," this is similar to saying "fairly good" or "pretty
good" in English. It's also sometimes used by a speaker to be more
modest. Below are some of the most common adjectives that get "toned
down" by 还 (hái) in this structure.

### Structure

<div class="jiegou">
Subj. + 还 + 好 / 可以 / 行 / 不错

</div>
In this pattern, 好 (hǎo), 可以 (kěyǐ), 行 (xíng), and 不错 (bùcuò)
combined with 还 ()hái can all be taken to mean "pretty good" or "all
right" or "decent" (but also kind of *meh*... not *great*). As in
English, intonation and facial expressions help convey the meaning. If
expectations were already low to begin with, 还可以 (hái kěyǐ) can have
the sense of "pretty darn good;" it all depends on context and tone of
voice.

### Examples

<div class="liju">
-   我 <em>还 好</em>。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>hái
    hǎo</em>.</span><span class="trans">I'm OK.</span>
-   爸爸 做 的 菜 <em>还 可以</em>。<span class="pinyin">Bàba zuò de cài
    <em>hái kěyǐ</em>.</span><span class="trans">The food that dad cooks
    is OK.</span>
-   我们 老板 <em>还 不错</em>。<span class="pinyin">Wǒmen lǎobǎn
    <em>hái bùcuò</em>.</span><span class="trans">Our boss is not too
    bad.</span>
-   这 家 店 <em>还 行</em>，不太 贵。<span class="pinyin">Zhè jià diàn
    <em>hái xíng</em>, bù tài guì.</span><span class="trans">This shop
    is OK. It's not too expensive.</span>
-   我 男朋友 的 工资 <em>还 可以</em>。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ
    nánpéngyou de gōngzī <em>hái kěyǐ</em>.</span><span class="trans">My
    boyfriend's salary is OK.</span>
-   新 的 办公室 <em>还 不错</em>。<span class="pinyin">Xīn de
    bàngōngshì <em>hái bùcuò</em>.</span><span class="trans">The new
    office is OK.</span>
-   我 觉得 这里 的 菜 <em>还 可以</em>，没有 那么
    难吃。<span class="pinyin">Wǒ juéde zhèlǐ de cài <em>hái kěyǐ</em>,
    méiyǒu nàme nánchī.</span><span class="trans">I think the food here
    is OK, it is not too bad-tasting.</span>
-   这 个 牌子 <em>还 不错</em>，很 多 年轻 人
    喜欢。<span class="pinyin">Zhège páizi <em>hái bùcuò</em>，hěn duō
    niánqīng rén xǐhuan.</span><span class="trans">This brand is not
    too bad. Many young people like it.</span>
-   房子 <em>还 可以</em>，但是 有 点 贵。<span class="pinyin">Fángzi
    <em>hái kěyǐ</em>, dànshì yǒudiǎn guì.</span><span class="trans">The
    apartment is not too bad, but it is a bit expensive.</span>

</div>
See also
--------

-   [Continuation with "hai"](Continuation_with_"hai" "wikilink")
-   [Expressing "rather" with
    "bijiao"](Expressing_"rather"_with_"bijiao" "wikilink")
-   [The "zui" superlative](The_"zui"_superlative "wikilink")

Sources and further reading
---------------------------

### Books

-   [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2
    (3rd ed)](Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_2_(3rd_ed) "wikilink") (pp.
    302)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276709/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276709)
-   [Exemplification of Common Sentence Patterns in Spoken Chinese
    汉语口语常用句式例解](Exemplification_of_Common_Sentence_Patterns_in_Spoken_Chinese_汉语口语常用句式例解 "wikilink") (pp.
    106-7)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Exemplification-Common-Sentence-Patterns-Chinese/dp/7301075405)
-   [Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical
    Guide](Modern_Mandarin_Chinese_Grammar:_A_Practical_Guide "wikilink") (pp.
    366)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415700108?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0415700108)

[Category:A2 grammar points](Category:A2_grammar_points "wikilink")