好一个…！
what a …! (admiring, or ironic when it throws someone’s words back at them)
Structure
好一个 名词或带引号的话 ！
What it means
“What a …!”: an exclamation, sincere with scenery and people, often ironic when it throws someone's own fine words back at them.
How it is built
好一个 + noun phrase or quoted words + ！: 好一个美丽的地方！ (what a beautiful place!); 好一个“为了你好”！ (so much for “for your own good”!). 一个 stays even before abstract nouns.
When to use it
Opens or closes a comment in essays, reviews and remarks; the ironic use quotes words to show they are hollow. Spoken short form: 好个… (好个机灵的孩子！).
Watch out
It stands alone, never as subject or object: ✗这是好一个地方 ✓这是一个好地方. Don't confuse it with 好不 + adjective (“how very”): 好不热闹.
Examples
好一个“贤婿老爷”！昨天还是“现世宝”，今天就成了天上的文曲星。
What a “worthy son-in-law, sir”! Yesterday a good-for-nothing, today a star from heaven.
好一个“从不占人便宜”！话还没说完，人家就来讨猪了。
So much for “never taking advantage of anyone”! He had hardly finished speaking when the man came for his pig.
好一个江南水乡，处处都是小桥流水。
What a picture of the southern water country, little bridges and flowing streams everywhere.
Learn this in Lesson 251 · HSK 9+: 《儒林外史》 (The Scholars)
A dialogue, a reading, word cards with audio and a drill that uses it, in Learn Chinese with Bao. The first lessons of every level are free.
Open the lesson →