hesitant; shoddy; unreliable
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
2 senses · 4 examplesadjective
hesitant; indecisive; unreliable
informalDescribes a person who is unreliable, wavers easily, or cannot make firm decisions. Common in northern Chinese dialects and spoken Mandarin.
Tā他
zhè这
gè个
rén人
tài太
èr二
hu乎
，
bàn办
shì事
gēn根
běn本
bù不
láo牢
kào靠
。
He's too unreliable; you definitely can't count on him to get things done.
Bié别
èr二
hu乎
le了
，
gǎn赶
jǐn紧
gěi给
gè个
zhǔn准
huà话
！
Stop wavering and give me a straight answer quickly!
adjective
inferior; shoddy; second-rate; below standard
informalDescribes the poor quality of goods, work, or performance. Often implies something is barely acceptable or questionable.
Zhè这
shǒu手
jī机
zhì质
liàng量
yǒu有
diǎn点
èr二
hu乎
，
yòng用
le了
sān三
tiān天
jiù就
huài坏
le了
。
The quality of this phone is pretty shoddy; it broke after just three days.
Tā他
dǎ打
qiú球
jì技
shù术
tài太
èr二
hu乎
，
gēn根
běn本
jìn进
bù不
liǎo了
xiào校
duì队
。
His basketball skills are too weak; he has no chance of making the school team.