Definition
好不 (hǎo bù) is a tricky adverb whose meaning flips with context: before positive adjectives like 热闹 it means 'very' (好不热闹 = very lively), but in the fixed phrase 好不容易 it means 'with great difficulty' (literally 'not easy'). Unlike 毫不 (háo bù), which always emphasizes negation ('not in the least'), 好不 can intensify or negate depending on the adjective.
adverb
used before certain adjectives to indicate a high degreeequivalent to 'very' or 'extremely'
Easily confused
- 毫不háo bùsound-alikenot at all; not in the least; hardly (used to emphasize negation before an adjective or verb)
Examples
- 好不。Jīntiān jiē shàng hǎo bù rènao.The street is very lively today.
- ，好不。Tīngdào zhège xiāoxi, tā hǎo bù gāoxìng.Upon hearing this news, she was extremely happy.
- 。Wǒmen hǎo bù róngyì cái zhǎodào zhè jiā diàn.We had great difficulty finding this shop.
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