Chinese word

还

Pronunciation

Pinyinhái

Meaning

  • adverbstill

Example

他还没来。tā hái méi lái

He still hasn't come.

Illustration for 还 (still)

More examples

我们还没吃饭。wǒ men hái méi chī fàn

We still haven't eaten.

Core concept

What has not ended stays present, can go further, or returns to where it belongs.

Common phrases

  • 还没hái méi

    still not

  • 还在hái zài

    still ___

  • 还没来hái méi lái

    still not come

Similar words

还在hái zài: Indicates that an action or state is still continuing at the present time.
还要hái yào: Indicates that something more is added beyond the current amount, degree, or step.
再zài: Indicates that an action will happen again or take place at a later time.

Definition in Chinese

主要表示某事在某一时点仍未结束或仍在进行（相当于“还没”“仍然”），也可表示追加或程度上的更高；另有作为动词表示把东西归还的用法。zhǔ yào biǎo shì mǒu shì zài mǒu yì shí diǎn réng wèi jié shù huò réng zài jìn xíng xiāng dāng yú hái méi réng rán yě kě biǎo shì zhuī jiā huò chéng dù shàng de gèng gāo lìng yǒu zuò wéi dòng cí biǎo shì bǎ dōng xī guī huán de yòng fǎ

Word origin

The character 还 (hái, "still") has an older return sense; Chinese later used the same form for what remains or adds another step, while the return reading is huán.

Usage tips

  • The return sense is pronounced huán, while the continuation and addition senses are pronounced hái, so context and sound both help separate the readings.

Other meanings

  • alsoadverb
  • returnverb

Word lists with this word