<!DOCTYPE html> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> <head> <meta name="generator" content= "HTML Tidy for HTML5 for Linux version 5.2.0" /> <title></title> </head> <body> <p>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.</p> <h2 id="commonly-used-expressions">Commonly Used Expressions</h2> <p>Besides expressing <a href="Continuation_with_"hai"" title="wikilink">continuation</a>, 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.</p> <h3 id="structure">Structure</h3> <div class="jiegou"> <p>Subj. + 还 + 好 / 可以 / 行 / 不错</p> </div> <p>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 <em>meh</em>... not <em>great</em>). 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.</p> <h3 id="examples">Examples</h3> <div class="liju"> <ul> <li>我 <em>还 好</em>。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>hái hǎo</em>.</span><span class="trans">I'm OK.</span></li> <li>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></li> <li>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></li> <li>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></li> <li>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></li> <li>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></li> <li>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></li> <li>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></li> <li>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></li> </ul> </div> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li><a href="Continuation_with_"hai"" title= "wikilink">Continuation with "hai"</a></li> <li><a href="Expressing_"rather"_with_"bijiao"" title="wikilink">Expressing "rather" with "bijiao"</a></li> <li><a href="The_"zui"_superlative" title="wikilink">The "zui" superlative</a></li> </ul> <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2> <h3 id="books">Books</h3> <ul> <li><a href="Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_2_(3rd_ed)" title= "wikilink">Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed)</a> (pp. 302) <a href= "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"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href= "Exemplification_of_Common_Sentence_Patterns_in_Spoken_Chinese_%E6%B1%89%E8%AF%AD%E5%8F%A3%E8%AF%AD%E5%B8%B8%E7%94%A8%E5%8F%A5%E5%BC%8F%E4%BE%8B%E8%A7%A3" title="wikilink">Exemplification of Common Sentence Patterns in Spoken Chinese 汉语口语常用句式例解</a> (pp. 106-7) <a href= "http://www.amazon.co.uk/Exemplification-Common-Sentence-Patterns-Chinese/dp/7301075405"> →buy</a></li> <li><a href="Modern_Mandarin_Chinese_Grammar:_A_Practical_Guide" title="wikilink">Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide</a> (pp. 366) <a href= "http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415700108?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0415700108"> →buy</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="Category:A2_grammar_points" title= "wikilink">Category:A2 grammar points</a></p> </body> </html>