🇨🇳👍😊

How to Say ‘Your Chinese is really not bad.’ in Simplified Chinese

中文说得还真不赖

zhōng wén shuō dé hái zhēn bù lài

[Zhōngwén shwaw duh hái jen bù lài]

💬 Usage Tip: To comment on how someone does something, use action + 得 + comment: 说得很好 "speaks well", 唱得不错 "sings pretty well".

🇨🇳 In China: Foreigners hear this compliment constantly. A modest, playful deflection lands better than a plain "thanks".

Phrase Breakdown

中文说得

zhōng wén shuō dé

(your) Chinese is spoken

说得 (verb + 得) introduces how well something is done.

Example

你中文说得很好。

You speak Chinese very well.

Words in this phrase

中文

zhōng wén

[Zhōngwén]

Chinese language

The Chinese language, especially written or spoken Mandarin.

Example

你的中文很好。

Your Chinese is very good.

说

shuō

[shwaw]

to speak; to say

A common verb for speaking or saying something.

Example

请你说中文。

Please speak Chinese.

得

dé

[duh]

complement marker

A grammar particle used after a verb to link it to a descriptive result or manner.

Example

请做得清淡一点。

Please make it lighter in flavor.

还真不赖

hái zhēn bù lài

is actually pretty good

还真 means 'actually' or 'surprisingly'. 不赖 means 'not bad'. Together they show pleasant surprise.

Example

这咖啡还真不赖。

This coffee is actually pretty good.

Words in this phrase

还

hái

[hái]

quite; rather

Adds a tone of mild surprise or 'fairly' to a description.

Example

这家店还挺好吃。

This place is actually quite tasty.

真

zhēn

[jen]

really; truly

An adverb meaning 'really' or 'truly.' It strengthens the emotion of the phrase.

Example

真该死，我把钱包忘在家里了。

Damn it, I left my wallet at home.

不

bù

[bù]

not

A negation particle that indicates the opposite of something.

Example

这件衣服不太合适。

This piece of clothing is not quite suitable.

赖

lài

[lài]

bad

Colloquial for bad; 不赖 means not bad, pretty good.

Example

这个主意不赖。

This idea isn't bad.

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