好歹

• Pinyin: hǎo dǎi
• Hanzi breakdown: 好 = 女 + 子 (woman + child — good/fine); 歹 = 歹 (corpse bone radical — bad/evil)

Meaning

Good and bad; whether good or bad; regardless; at any rate. As a noun, refers to outcomes both good and bad; as an adverb, means 'at least' or 'no matter what happens'.

A versatile word covering two related senses: (1) the range of possible outcomes including the worst case (不知好歹 — unable to tell good from bad); (2) an adverbial sense meaning 'at least' or 'anyway' implying a minimal concession (好歹吃点东西 — at least eat something). Common in colloquial speech.

Examples

1. 你好歹把这碗饭吃了，空着肚子怎么去上班？ At least eat this bowl of rice—how can you go to work on an empty stomach?
2. 他不知好歹，好心相劝反而被他骂了一顿。 He has no sense of what’s good for him; I meant well and advised him, and he ended up cursing me out.
3. 无论结果好歹，我们都已经尽力而为，无悔于心。 No matter how it turns out, we’ve done our best and have no regrets.

Usage Guide

Context: colloquial, persuasion, daily life

Tone: colloquial

Do Say

• 你好歹跟我说一声再走，让我们知道你在哪里，省得担心。(At the very least, say something to me before you leave so we know where you are and don't worry.)
• 事情不管好歹都要面对，逃避只会让问题越来越严重。(Whatever the outcome, you have to face it; avoidance only makes things worse.)

Don't Say

• 好歹这件事很重要 — in this position 好歹 sounds awkward; use 无论如何 or 不管怎样 for 'no matter what' in a formal sentence opening

Origin & History

好 (good) + 歹 (bad/evil) — a binome covering the full spectrum from good to bad

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal