Chinese phrases
How to say not bad in Chinese
Not bad in Chinese is 不错 (bú cuò), and it is real praise: “pretty good.” For a plain “it’s OK,” say 还行 (hái xíng). 一般 (yì bān) means “meh.”
不错
not bad; pretty good
不 changes to bú before the fourth tone of 错: bú cuò.
Ways to say not bad
不错
Everydaypretty good
Real praise, for food, a film or someone’s work. 还不错 is a little softer, and 很不错 is stronger.
挺好的
Everydaypretty good
Warm and positive. A common answer to 怎么样？, “how is it?”
还行
Everydayit’s OK
Fine, nothing special. Neutral to slightly positive.
还可以
Everydayit’s alright
Close to 还行: acceptable, with no complaints.
凑合
With friendsit’ll do
Just good enough: a cheap hotel, a quick meal. 凑合吧 sounds like a shrug.
一般
Everydaymeh; nothing special
Lukewarm. Asked about food or a film, 一般 usually means you were not impressed. Friends also say 一般般.
马马虎虎
Everydayso-so
The textbook “so-so.” It also means careless: 他做事马马虎虎, “he does things carelessly.”
Common mistakes
一般 as a neutral answer
When a friend asks how their cooking is, 一般 sounds like “not good.” If you liked it, say 还不错 or 挺好的.
Hearing 不错 as faint praise
In English, “not bad” can be lukewarm. 不错 is a real compliment, and 很不错 is strong praise.
马马虎虎 for everything
Textbooks teach 马马虎虎 for “so-so,” but in daily talk 还行 and 一般 are more common. About a person, 马马虎虎 is criticism.
After a film
昨天的电影怎么样？
Qiqi: How was the film yesterday?
一般，有点长。
Leon: Meh. A bit long.
我觉得还不错啊。
Qiqi: I thought it was pretty good.
