好（不）容易 + 才 (with great difficulty)

• 拼音: hǎo (bù) róngyì
• 结构: Subj. + 好（不）容易 + 才 + Verb / Result
• 汉字拆解: 容 = 宀 (roof) + 谷 (valley), meaning to contain; 易 = 日 (sun) + 勿 (not), originally meaning easy

含义

Expresses that something was accomplished only after great effort or difficulty. Despite appearing to have opposite meanings, both 好容易 and 好不容易 convey the same idea — 'with great difficulty' or 'it wasn't easy.' The result clause typically uses 才 to emphasize the hard-won outcome.

This is one of Chinese's well-known examples of two opposite-looking expressions meaning the same thing. Both 好容易 and 好不容易 mean 'with great difficulty' or 'it was so hard to finally...' The 好 here functions as an intensifier rather than meaning 'good,' and the overall expression is idiomatic. The pattern often pairs with 才 in the result clause to emphasize that the outcome was hard-won. It frequently carries an emotional undertone of relief, frustration, or pride. The speaker typically wants to highlight the effort invested, implying the result was important or precious. This pattern is common in narratives and complaints.

例句

1. 我好不容易才找到一份满意的工作。
2. 他好容易才说服父母同意他出国留学。
3. 我们好不容易才买到那场演唱会的票。

用法指南

语境: spoken, written, everyday

语气: emphatic

正确说法

• 好不容易等到周末，我就想好好休息一下。
• 他好容易才戒了烟，你别在他面前抽。
• 我们好不容易才凑齐了首付的钱。
• 好容易才把孩子哄睡着了，你小点声。

错误说法

• 我好不容易就找到了工作。(好不容易 should pair with 才 to emphasize the hard-won nature — 就 suggests ease, which contradicts the meaning) → 我好不容易才找到了工作。
• 这道题好不容易。(好不容易 is an adverbial expression meaning 'with great difficulty,' not a predicate adjective — use 很不容易 or 很难 instead) → 这道题很不容易。

起源与历史

The coexistence of 好容易 and 好不容易 with the same meaning is a classic example of Chinese rhetorical equivalence. Here 好 serves as an intensifier, and the 不 in 好不容易 is semantically absorbed, creating an idiomatic expression where affirmative and negative forms converge.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal