Chinese Conversation · Level 21
90 words
Chinese word
马马虎虎
Pronunciation
Pinyinmǎ mǎ hū hū
Meaning
- adjectiveso-so
Example
他的答案写得马马虎虎。tā de dá àn xiě de má mǎ hū hū
His answer is so-so.
More examples
他做事总是马马虎虎，老板不满意。tā zuò shì zǒng shì má mǎ hū hū láo bǎn bù mǎn yì
He is always careless in his work, and his boss is not satisfied.
Core concept
Something that is acceptable at a glance yet lacks care and fine detail.
Common phrases
写得马马虎虎xiě de má mǎ hū hū
write sloppily
做事马马虎虎zuò shì má mǎ hū hū
work sloppily
回答马马虎虎huí dá má mǎ hū hū
answer carelessly
Similar words
马虎má hǔ: Careless and inattentive, with important details easily overlooked.
一般yì bān: Average and unremarkable, with neither a clearly good nor bad quality.
不错bú cuò: Generally good and deserving of a positive assessment.
过得去guò de qù: Just good enough to pass or get by, without being impressive.
Definition in Chinese
表示对人或事物的评价不高但不完全否定，含有马虎、不够细致的意思。biǎo shì duì rén huò shì wù de píng jià bù gāo dàn bù wán quán fǒu dìng hán yǒu má hǔ bú gòu xì zhì de yì si
Word origin
马马虎虎 (mǎmǎhǔhǔ, "so-so") is the reduplicated form of 马虎 (mǎhu, "careless"), a formation that softens a judgment without removing its criticism.
Usage tips
- In conversation, it can soften a negative assessment while still leaving room for the listener to hear criticism, especially when the topic is someone else's work.
Other meanings
- carelessadjective
- roughadjective
Opposites
- 认真rèn zhēnconscientiousadjective
Related words
- 马虎má hǔcarelessadjective