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好在 (hǎo zài) — fortunately, luckily

Definition

幸好 (xìnghǎo) is the more common everyday 'fortunately'; 幸亏 (xìngkuī) often highlights a near miss, while 好在 sounds slightly more formal and is common in writing.

adverb
fortunatelyluckily

Examples

  • 好在。
    hǎo zài Wǒ men jí shí gǎn dào le.
    Fortunately, we arrived in time.
  • 好在，。
    hǎo zài Yǒu tā bāng máng, wǒ men cái néng àn shí wán chéng.
    Fortunately, with her help, we were able to finish on time.
  • 好在，。
    hǎo zài Tā méi shòu shāng, zhǐ shì yǒu diǎn lèi.
    Fortunately, he wasn't injured, just a little tired.

Origin

Characters in this word

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

好 joins 女 (woman) and 子 (child), understood as a woman with a child, linked to goodness or affection.

Open 好 →

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

The early form of 在 used 才 for its sound; a second sound part 士 was added later, and that 士 became the 土 seen in 在.

Open 在 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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