划得来 (huá de lái) — worth it; it pays to

Definition

Colloquial adjective 'worth it, a good deal' — same meaning as 划算 but more everyday and spoken, while its opposite 划不来 means 'not worth it'.

adjective

worth itit pays to

，划得来。
Zhè zhāng piào suī rán guì, dàn shì hěn huá de lái.
This ticket is expensive, but it's worth it.
划得来？
Nǐ jué de huā sān tiān shí jiān xué zhè ge huá de lái ma?
Do you think it's worth spending three days learning this?
，划得来。
Wèi le jiàn kāng, měi tiān yùn dòng yì xiǎo shí jué duì huá de lái.
For health, exercising an hour every day is definitely worth it.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

补充bǔchōngVerb + complement

An action followed by its result or direction.

划huàcalculate

得来can come out

偏正Modifier + head

划 means calculate, and 得来 says it can come out, hence worthwhile.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

戈

戈gē划huá

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

划 is made of 刀, a knife, and 戈, a weapon. The 戈 part gives the sound.

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The old form 㝵 showed a hand picking up a cowry, meaning to obtain; later changes turned that picture into 得.

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Appears in