好话 (hǎo huà) — a good word; word of praise; kind remarks

Definition

Refers to kind or flattering words — what you say to please or encourage someone. Often collocates with 说 (说几句好话, 说好话).

noun

a good wordword of praisekind remarks

Measure word · 句

好话。
Tā zǒng shì zài lǐng dǎo miàn qián shuō hǎo huà.
He always speaks well of others in front of the leader.
好话。
Dà jiā dōu xǐ huan tīng hǎo huà.
Everyone likes to hear words of praise.
好话，。
Nǐ duì tā shuō jǐ jù hǎo huà, tā yě xǔ jiù huì bāng máng.
Say a few kind words to him, and he might help.

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

好 good specifies the kind of 话 words, giving kind words or praise.

Characters in this word

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

女子好

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

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 話; 话 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

𠯑

𠯑𠯑話huà

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

In the traditional form 話, 言 relates to words and 𠯑 gives the sound; the simplified 话 is a shorthand, so its right side is not that sound part.

Appears in