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要好 (yào hǎo) — on good terms, close (as friends); diligent, striving for self-improvement

Definition

要好 covers two unrelated meanings: 'close / on good terms' (friends, as in 友好) and 'diligent, striving to improve' (like 努力, 勤奋). Context makes the meaning clear.

adjective
on good termsclose (as friends)diligentstriving for self-improvement

Examples

  • 要好，。
    Tā men liǎ cóng xiǎo jiù hěn yào hǎo, cóng lái méi chǎo guò jià.
    The two of them have been close since childhood and have never quarreled.
  • 要好，。
    Wǒ gēn gōng sī de tóng shì dōu tǐng yào hǎo de, gōng zuò fēn wéi hěn hǎo.
    I get along well with all my colleagues at the company; the work atmosphere is great.
  • 要好，。
    Zhè hái zi xué xí hěn yào hǎo, měi tiān zhǔ dòng fù xí gōng kè.
    This child is very diligent in studying; he reviews his lessons on his own every day.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

要yàoseek
好hǎogood

要 means to seek and 好 means good, so the idea is seeking a good relationship or self-improvement.

Characters in this word

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

要 began as a drawing of a person with both hands pointing to the waist.

Open 要 →

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 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Friends & Social

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