恰到好处
qià dào hǎo chù
just right; exactly as it should be
Character by character
恰qià
just
just
到dào
reach
reach
好hǎo
good
good
处chù
point
point
Example
他的发言不长，几句玩笑开得恰到好处，会场的气氛一下子轻松了。
His speech was short, and a couple of well-judged jokes lightened the mood in the hall at once.
Tone: positive (praise).
Usage and origin
For anything judged exactly right, neither too much nor too little: seasoning and heat in cooking, a joke, a compliment, make-up. Often a complement, 说得／处理得恰到好处, or an adverbial, 恰到好处地 + verb.
Learn this in Lesson 136 · HSK 7–9: 一锅老火汤 (A pot of slow-cooked soup)
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.
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