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Moderating positive adjectives with 还 ("hai2")

还 hái

Adverbs with adjectives
HSK 2

Structure

Subj. + 还 + 好 / 可以 / 行 / 不错

Definition

还 (hái) 加上积极形容词，表示程度中等，有“还算”、“还算可以”的意思，语气比直接使用形容词委婉。

还 (hái) plus a positive adjective indicates a moderate degree, meaning 'quite' or 'fairly', with a tone that is more euphemistic than using the adjective directly.

Usage

用于修饰积极形容词，表示程度没那么高，有缓和语气的作用。常与“可以”、“好”、“不错”等连用，不能用于否定句。

Used to modify positive adjectives, indicating a lower degree and softening the tone. Often used with '可以' (kěyǐ), '好' (hǎo), '不错' (bùcuò), etc. Cannot be used in negative sentences.

Examples

  • 1 这个电影还可以。 (This movie is pretty good.)
  • 2 他的汉语说得还好。 (He speaks Chinese fairly well.)
  • 3 这道菜还蛮好吃的。 (This dish is quite tasty.)
  • 4 我今天心情还不错。 (I'm in a fairly good mood today.)
  • 5 那家店的价钱还合理。 (The prices at that store are quite reasonable.)

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