bùhǎo: 不好 - Not Good, Bad, Awkward

• Keywords: bùhǎo, bu hao pinyin, 不好 meaning, how to say not good in Chinese, Chinese for bad, what does buhao mean, buhao vs buhaoyisi, Chinese awkward, expressing negativity in Chinese, HSK 1 vocabulary.
• Summary: Learn the essential Chinese word 不好 (bùhǎo), which means “not good” or “bad.” This guide goes beyond a simple translation, exploring how 不好 is used to describe quality, express that you're not feeling well, and even to convey that a situation is awkward or difficult. Understand the critical difference between 不好 (bùhǎo) and 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) to avoid common mistakes and communicate more naturally. This is a foundational word for every beginner learning Mandarin.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): bù hǎo
• Part of Speech: Adjective / Adverb
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: A direct negation of “good,” meaning “not good” or “bad.”
• In a Nutshell: 不好 (bùhǎo) is one of the most fundamental and versatile negative terms in Mandarin. It's formed by simply placing the negative particle 不 (bù) before 好 (hǎo), “good.” At its core, it describes something of poor quality, a negative situation, or a state of being unwell. However, its usage extends to more nuanced situations, like expressing that something is difficult to do or awkward to say, making it an incredibly useful word in daily conversation.

• 不 (bù): This character is the primary negator in Chinese, meaning “not” or “no.” It's a simple, foundational character used to make countless words and sentences negative.
• 好 (hǎo): This character famously depicts a 女 (nǚ), a woman, next to a 子 (zǐ), a child. Together, they traditionally represent the concept of “goodness,” harmony, and completeness. It's the standard word for “good” or “okay.”
• When combined, 不好 (bùhǎo) literally means “not good.” The logic is direct and easy for beginners to grasp. It takes the universal concept of “good” and simply negates it.

• In Chinese culture, maintaining social harmony and preserving “face” or 面子 (miànzi) is often prioritized over blunt, direct communication. 不好 (bùhǎo) plays a key role in this social dynamic.
• While an American might say, “This movie is terrible!” or “Your idea is awful,” a Chinese speaker might opt for a softer, more indirect criticism like, “这个电影不好看 (Zhège diànyǐng bù hǎo kàn)” — literally, “This movie is not good to watch.” or “你这个想法不好 (Nǐ zhège xiǎngfǎ bù hǎo)” — “This idea of yours is not good.”
• This seemingly mild statement can carry the weight of strong disapproval. Using 不好 instead of a harsher word like 糟糕 (zāogāo - terrible) or 差 (chà - poor) allows the speaker to express a negative opinion without causing the other person to lose face. For a learner, it's important to understand that a simple 不好 from a native speaker can be a significant and serious critique.

不好 is extremely common and used in various contexts:

• Describing Quality: This is its most straightforward use, for objects, food, experiences, etc.
  • e.g., “This restaurant's food is not good.” (这家饭馆的菜不好吃。)
• Describing a State or Condition: Used for weather, health, or abstract situations.
  • e.g., “I'm not feeling well today.” (我今天身体不好。)
  • e.g., “His temper is very bad.” (他的脾气很不好。)
• Expressing Difficulty or Inconvenience (不好 + Verb): This is a key structure that means “hard to…” or “not easy to…”.
  • e.g., 不好办 (bù hǎo bàn): Difficult to handle.
  • e.g., 不好说 (bù hǎo shuō): Hard to say; difficult to explain.
• Expressing Awkwardness to Perform an Action: Similar to the above, it can mean something is socially awkward or inappropriate to do.
  • e.g., “It's awkward for me to ask him directly.” (我不好直接问他。) This implies it would be inappropriate or uncomfortable, not that it's physically difficult.

• Example 1:
  • 这个苹果看起来不错，但是味道不好。
  • Pinyin: Zhège píngguǒ kànqǐlái búcuò, dànshì wèidào bù hǎo.
  • English: This apple looks nice, but it doesn't taste good.
  • Analysis: A simple and direct use of 不好 to describe the quality (taste) of an object.
• Example 2:
  • A: 你怎么了？脸色很不好。 B: 我有点不舒服。
  • Pinyin: A: Nǐ zěnme le? Liǎnsè hěn bù hǎo. B: Wǒ yǒudiǎn bù shūfu.
  • English: A: What's wrong? You look unwell (your complexion is not good). B: I'm a little uncomfortable.
  • Analysis: Here, 不好 is used to describe someone's physical appearance as an indicator of poor health.
• Example 3:
  • 最近天气很不好，一直下雨。
  • Pinyin: Zuìjìn tiānqì hěn bù hǎo, yīzhí xiàyǔ.
  • English: The weather has been very bad lately, it keeps raining.
  • Analysis: A common way to describe a situation like the weather.
• Example 4:
  • 他这个人脾气不好，你别惹他。
  • Pinyin: Tā zhège rén píqì bù hǎo, nǐ bié rě tā.
  • English: This person has a bad temper, don't provoke him.
  • Analysis: 不好 is used to describe an abstract personal trait.
• Example 5:
  • 这个问题很不好回答。
  • Pinyin: Zhège wèntí hěn bù hǎo huídá.
  • English: This question is very difficult to answer.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the “不好 + Verb” structure, meaning “hard/difficult to (verb)”. It's synonymous with 难回答 (nán huídá).
• Example 6:
  • 老板交给我的这个任务很不好办。
  • Pinyin: Lǎobǎn jiāogěi wǒ de zhège rènwù hěn bù hǎo bàn.
  • English: This task the boss gave me is very difficult to handle.
  • Analysis: 不好办 (bù hǎo bàn) is a very common phrase meaning something is tricky or problematic to get done.
• Example 7:
  • 我不好意思拒绝他的邀请，但是那天我真的有事。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ bù hǎoyìsi jùjué tā de yāoqǐng, dànshì nàtiān wǒ zhēnde yǒushì.
  • English: I was too embarrassed to refuse his invitation, but I really had something on that day.
  • Analysis: This example uses 不好意思, which is different. Let's provide a better example for 不好 in an awkward context.
• Corrected Example 7:
  • 他是我的朋友，我不好当着大家的面批评他。
  • Pinyin: Tā shì wǒ de péngyǒu, wǒ bù hǎo dāngzhe dàjiā de miàn pīpíng tā.
  • English: He's my friend, it's not appropriate/it's awkward for me to criticize him in front of everyone.
  • Analysis: Here, 不好 means it would be socially awkward or inappropriate to perform the action. It's not about physical difficulty but social propriety.
• Example 8:
  • 在别人背后说坏话是不好的习惯。
  • Pinyin: Zài biérén bèihòu shuō huàihuà shì bù hǎo de xíguàn.
  • English: Talking badly about others behind their back is a bad habit.
  • Analysis: A clear moral or behavioral judgment.
• Example 9:
  • 因为堵车，我的心情很不好。
  • Pinyin: Yīnwèi dǔchē, wǒ de xīnqíng hěn bù hǎo.
  • English: Because of the traffic jam, I'm in a very bad mood.
  • Analysis: Used to describe one's emotional state or mood (心情 xīnqíng).
• Example 10:
  • A: 我们明天去爬山怎么样？ B: 不好吧，天气预报说明天有大雨。
  • Pinyin: A: Wǒmen míngtiān qù páshān zěnmeyàng? B: Bù hǎo ba, tiānqì yùbào shuō míngtiān yǒu dàyǔ.
  • English: A: How about we go hiking tomorrow? B: That's probably not a good idea, the weather forecast says there will be heavy rain tomorrow.
  • Analysis: A gentle way to refuse or reject a suggestion. The “吧 (ba)” softens the tone, making it a suggestion rather than a harsh rejection.

The most common point of confusion for learners is distinguishing 不好 from similar-sounding or related words.

• 不好 (bù hǎo) vs. 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi): This is the single biggest pitfall.
  • 不好 = Not good (a judgment of quality, state, or difficulty).
  • 不好意思 = Excuse me / Sorry / Embarrassed (an expression of feeling).
  • Correct: 这个菜不好吃。(This dish is not tasty.)
  • Incorrect: ~~这个菜不好意思。~~ (This is grammatically wrong and makes no sense.)
  • Correct: 不好意思，我来晚了。(Sorry, I'm late.)
  • Incorrect: ~~不好，我来晚了。~~ (This sounds blunt, like “Bad, I'm late,” and lacks the necessary apologetic feeling.)
• 不好 (bù hǎo) vs. 坏 (huài):
  • 不好 is a general “not good.” It's often milder and covers quality, skill, or situations.
  • 坏 (huài) is stronger. It can mean “spoiled” (for food), “broken” (for machines), or “evil/wicked” (for people).
  • Example (Quality): 他的中文不好。 (His Chinese is not good.) → This is about skill level.
  • Example (Morality): 他是个坏人。 (He is a bad person.) → Here, 坏 implies he is morally corrupt. Using 不好 would be too weak.
  • Example (Condition): 苹果坏了。(The apple has spoiled/gone bad.) → Use 坏 for spoiled food.

• 好 (hǎo) - The direct antonym, meaning “good,” “okay.”
• 不好意思 (bù hǎoyìsi) - A crucial related term meaning “sorry” (for minor things), “excuse me,” or “to feel shy/embarrassed.”
• 坏 (huài) - A stronger antonym meaning “bad,” “wicked,” “spoiled,” or “broken.”
• 差 (chà) - Means “poor” in quality, “lacking,” or “inferior.” Often used for grades or performance reviews.
• 糟糕 (zāogāo) - Means “terrible,” “awful,” or “what a mess!” Used for situations that have gone completely wrong.
• 难 (nán) - Means “difficult.” It's often a synonym for 不好 in constructions like 难办 (nán bàn) or 难看 (nán kàn).
• 面子 (miànzi) - The cultural concept of “face” or social dignity, which explains why a mild term like 不好 is often used for indirect criticism.