Chinese word

要好

Pronunciation

Pinyinyào hǎo

Meaning

  • verbbe close

Example

他和那位老师一直要好。tā hé nà wèi lǎo shī yì zhí yào hǎo

He and that teacher have always been close.

Illustration for 要好 (be close)

More examples

他和同学一直要好，遇到困难会互相帮助。tā hé tóng xué yì zhí yào hǎo yù dào kùn nán huì hù xiāng bāng zhù

He and his classmates have always been close and help each other when they have problems.

Core concept

An ongoing personal bond with easy familiarity, friendly contact, and mutual goodwill.

Common phrases

  • 和朋友要好hé péng yǒu yào hǎo

    be close to friends

  • 和同学要好hé tóng xué yào hǎo

    be close to classmates

  • 与邻居要好yǔ lín jū yào hǎo

    be close to neighbors

Similar words

亲近qīn jìn: Become emotionally close to someone and interact with little distance or reserve.
相处xiāng chǔ: Spend time or live together while getting along well.
熟悉shú xī: Become familiar with someone and interact naturally through that familiarity.
交往jiāo wǎng: Interact socially with someone and continue an ongoing personal association.

Definition in Chinese

与某人关系亲近，彼此像朋友一样相处。yǔ mǒu rén guān xì qīn jìn bí cǐ xiàng péng yǒu yí yàng xiāng chǔ

Word origin

The compound 要好 (yàohǎo, "be close") joins 要 (yào, "want or seek") and 好 (hǎo, "good or friendly"), making a good relationship the state people seek with each other.

Usage tips

  • This word usually suits an established personal bond rather than a brief moment of friendliness, which helps distinguish lasting closeness from a single pleasant encounter.

Other meanings

  • get along wellverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word