好歹

hǎodǎi

adverb HSK 7-9 #10,759

Meanings

1 no matter what
2 anyway
3 good or bad
4 in any case

Characters

Examples

好歹他也是你的哥哥，你应该尊重他。

Hǎodǎi tā yě shì nǐ degē ge, nǐ yīnggāi zūnzhòng tā.

He's your older brother after all; you should respect him.

好歹吃点东西再走吧。

Hǎodǎi chī diǎn dōngxi zài zǒu ba.

At least eat something before you go.

Tips

usage

好歹 has two main uses: (1) as an adverb meaning 'at any rate / after all / at least' (most common in speech), and (2) as a noun meaning 'good and bad' or 'what might happen' (as in 万一有个好歹, 'if something bad were to happen').

Stroke Order

好 hǎo

歹 dǎi