Chinese Conversation · Level 26
90 words
Chinese word
不错
Pronunciation
Pinyinbù cuò
Meaning
- adjectivegood
Example
这道菜不错，你要不要试试？zhè dào cài bú cuò nǐ yào bú yào shì shì
This dish is good; would you like to try it?
More examples
这本书不错，值得一读。zhè běn shū bú cuò zhí de yì dú
This book is good and worth reading.
Core concept
A friendly approval that says the subject passes the check and is worth being pleased about, while leaving space for stronger praise.
Common phrases
很不错hěn bú cuò
very good
还不错hái bú cuò
pretty good
挺不错tǐng bú cuò
quite good
Similar words
好hǎo: Good or fine, giving a clear positive judgment about someone or something.
很好hěn hǎo: Very good, showing that the quality or condition is especially high.
Definition in Chinese
表示对人或事物的肯定评价，意思是“并不差、令人满意”或“还可以”，多为口语用法，语气比“好”更随意且可与“挺”“很”等副词连用以加强程度。biǎo shì duì rén huò shì wù de kěn dìng píng jià yì si shì bìng bú chà lìng rén mǎn yì huò hái ké yǐ duō wèi kóu yǔ yòng fǎ yǔ qì bǐ hǎo gèng suí yì qiě kě yǔ tǐng hěn děng fù cí lián yòng yǐ jiā qiáng chéng dù
Word origin
The characters 不 (bù, "not") + 错 (cuò, "wrong") make praise sound like saying that no fault is present, creating the relaxed positive sense used today.
Usage tips
- As a complete short reply, it often sounds modest rather than excited, so it fits a quick positive reaction in conversation.