只好 meaning in English

zhǐhǎo

to have no other option but to ...; to have to; to be forced to

HSK 3adverb11 strokes

Meaning of 只好

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

zhǐhǎo

to have no other option but to ...; to have to; to be forced to

How to use 只好

只好 is an adverb placed before the verb, usually in the second part of a sentence after the reason is given. It shows you accept something because there is no better option. Example: 下雨了，我们只好在家。(Xià yǔ le, wǒmen zhǐhǎo zài jiā.) It's raining, so we have to stay home.

只 (zhǐ) means only, and 好 (hǎo) means good or fine. When there is only one way left, you say it is fine and do it: 只好 means you have no choice but to.

Common mistake: Learners often confuse 只好 with 最好 (zuìhǎo). 最好 gives advice about the best choice, while 只好 describes being forced into the only choice. Also, 只 here is third tone zhǐ, not first tone zhī as in 一只猫 (yì zhī māo).

只好 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

他tā无wú能néng为wéi力lì，只zhǐ好hǎo放fàng弃qì计jì划huà

He could do nothing but give up his plan against his will.

为wèi了le保bǎo护hù自zì己jǐ，我wǒ们men只zhǐ好hǎo说shuō谎huǎng。

To defend ourselves, we had to tell a lie.

因yīn为wèi车chē子zi坏huài了le，他tā们men只zhǐ好hǎo步bù行xíng。

The car broke down, so they had to walk.

昨zuó天tiān太tài冷lěng了le，我wǒ只zhǐ好hǎo待dài在zài家jiā里lǐ。

It was so cold yesterday I stayed home.

他tā没méi法fǎ生shēng火huǒ，只zhǐ好hǎo把bǎ鱼yú生shēng吃chī。

As he had no way of making fire, he ate the fish raw.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

只 zhǐ · only · 5 strokes

好 hǎo · good · 6 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 只好.

最好	zuìhǎo	best; had better ...; it would be best to ...
好吃	hǎochī	tasty; delicious
好看	hǎokàn	good-looking; nice-looking; (of a movie, book, TV show etc) good
好听	hǎotīng	pleasant to hear
爱好	àihào	to like; to be fond of; to take pleasure in; to be keen on; interest; hobby
好玩儿	hǎowánr	erhua variant of 好玩[hao3 wan2]
只要	zhǐyào	so long as; provided; if
好像	hǎoxiàng	as if; to seem like
只能	zhǐ néng	can only; obliged to do sth
不好意思	bù hǎoyìsi	to feel embarrassed; to find it embarrassing
好多	hǎoduō	many; quite a lot
好人	hǎorén	good person; healthy person

Questions about 只好

What does 只好 mean?

只好 (zhǐhǎo) means "to have no other option but to ...; to have to; to be forced to" and is used as a adverb.

How do you write 只好?

只好 is made of 2 characters: 只 (5 strokes), 好 (6 strokes). That is 11 strokes in total.

Is 只好 an HSK word?

Yes. 只好 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 只好 and 不得不?

Both mean having to do something. 不得不 (bùdébù) sounds stronger and more formal, stressing pressure, while 只好 is softer and more common in daily speech, stressing resigned acceptance.

Can 只好 go before the subject?

Usually it goes after the subject and before the verb, as in 我只好走路。(Wǒ zhǐhǎo zǒu lù.) I had to walk. When the subject is clear from context, it can be dropped, as in 只好走路了。