好 (so that / purpose)

Chinese Grammar Advanced Chinese ★★★ 3/5 casual hǎo
拼音 hǎo
结构 Action + 好 + Purpose / Desired Outcome
汉字拆解 好 = 女 (woman) + 子 (child)

含义

The word 好 (hǎo) can function as a purpose connector meaning 'so that' or 'so as to.' Placed between two clauses, it indicates that the first action is done in order to enable or facilitate the second.

This colloquial use of 好 as a purpose marker is distinct from its common meaning of 'good.' It serves the same function as the formal 以便 but is natural in everyday spoken Chinese. The pattern typically has the form 'do X, 好 do Y,' where X creates conditions for Y. It is far more casual than 以便 or 为了, and appears frequently in suggestions, requests, and explanations of practical reasoning. Learners sometimes confuse this 好 with the resultative complement 好 (meaning 'finished' or 'properly'), but context usually makes the distinction clear — purpose 好 introduces a new clause, while resultative 好 follows a verb directly. This pattern is extremely common in daily conversation across all regions of China.

例句

  1. 你先把地址发给我，好我直接导航过去。
  2. 早点睡吧，好明天有精神上班。
  3. 我把钥匙放在门口，好出门的时候不会忘。

用法指南

语境: spoken, everyday

语气: practical

正确说法

  • 你把文件整理一下，好下午开会的时候用。
  • 我先去排队，好等你来了直接进场。
  • 快把作业写完，好晚上出去玩。
  • 我多买了几瓶水，好路上喝。

错误说法

  • 为了确保质量达标，好产品能顺利上市。 (好 as a purpose marker is colloquial — do not mix it with formal phrasing like 为了确保; use 以便 instead) → 为了确保质量达标，以便产品能顺利上市。
  • 好我能参加会议，请调整时间。 (好 cannot begin the sentence — the enabling action must come before 好) → 请调整时间，好我能参加会议。
  • 他学习好考上大学。 (好 as a purpose marker needs a comma or pause before it to separate the two clauses; without it, 好 reads as 'well') → 他努力学习，好考上大学。

起源与历史

The purpose-marking use of 好 developed from its original meaning of 'good' or 'proper' — the logic being that doing something makes conditions 'good for' the subsequent action. This colloquial grammaticalisation is well-established in modern spoken Mandarin.

文化背景

世代: All ages

社会背景: Universal

相关短语

为 (for / on behalf of) The preposition 为 (wèi) means 'for' or 'on behalf of' and is used to indicate the beneficiary of an action. It introduces the person or party that the action is performed for, placing them before the verb. 以上 / 以下 (defining scope) The terms 以上 (yǐshàng, 'above/or more') and 以下 (yǐxià, 'below/or less') are used after numbers, levels, or rankings to define an upper or lower boundary. They set a threshold that includes the stated value. 的话 (conditional topic) The phrase 的话 (de huà) is placed after a topic or condition to mark it as a hypothetical scenario or a conditional premise. It functions similarly to 'if' or 'in the case of' in English, setting up a condition before the main comment. 给 vs 为 (comparing 'for') Both 给 (gěi) and 为 (wèi) can mean 'for' in Chinese, but they differ in formality, nuance, and usage contexts. 给 is the everyday spoken form, while 为 is more formal and often implies dedication, sacrifice, or purpose. 以便 (so that / in order to) The conjunction 以便 (yǐbiàn) means 'so that' or 'in order to' and connects an action with its intended outcome. It introduces a purpose clause, indicating that the first action is performed to facilitate or enable the second. 嘛 (topic marker) The particle 嘛 (ma) is used after a topic or statement to mark something as obvious, self-evident, or to soften a reminder. It carries an implication that the listener should already know or agree with what is being said.
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