HSK · Level 35
120 words
Chinese word
不怎么样
Pronunciation
Pinyinbù zěn me yàng
Meaning
- adjectivenot very good
Example
这道菜不怎么样。zhè dào cài bù zěn me yàng
This dish is not very good.
More examples
他的工作表现不怎么样，还需要改进。tā de gōng zuò biǎo xiàn bù zěn me yàng hái xū yào gǎi jìn
His work performance is not very good and still needs improvement.
Core concept
A soft-edged negative verdict for something that misses the hoped-for standard.
Common phrases
水平不怎么样shuǐ píng bù zěn me yàng
not very good in quality
味道不怎么样wèi dào bù zěn me yàng
not very good in taste
表现不怎么样biǎo xiàn bù zěn me yàng
not very good in performance
Similar words
一般yì bān: Ordinary or average, without being especially good or bad.
还可以hái ké yǐ: Acceptable and reasonably satisfactory, though not fully good.
凑合còu hé: Usable or tolerable for now despite being less than desirable, often with a resigned tone.
不太好bú tài hǎo: Not good enough to satisfy, expressing mild dissatisfaction.
Definition in Chinese
表示某事物或表现未达到普通标准或预期，评价偏于平庸或不佳，语气多为口语且不极端。biǎo shì mǒu shì wù huò biǎo xiàn wèi dá dào pǔ tōng biāo zhǔn huò yù qī píng jià piān yú píng yōng huò bù jiā yǔ qì duō wèi kóu yǔ qiě bù jí duān
Word origin
不怎么样 (bùzěnmeyàng, "not very good") begins with 不 (bù, "not") and uses 怎么样 (zěnmeyàng, "how; what kind") to express that something falls short of a normal or expected level.
Usage tips
- The phrase often works as conversational understatement, but its short and plain wording may still sound blunt in feedback, especially when the subject is someone's work.