# 好（不）容易 Grammar Guide: Meaning, Structure & Usage (HSK 6) | HSKReady Canonical: https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-6-fixed-phrases-13d56d917f Language: en Content ID: web-grammar-hsk-6-fixed-phrases-13d56d917f HSK levels: 6 Updated: 2026-10-23T04:56:58.887Z Scope: published website educational content; full vocabulary, question bank and mock exams remain in the app. Learn how to use the Chinese fixed phrase 好（不）容易. Understand why 好容易 and 好不容易 mean the same thing in adverbial patterns, how to pair them with 才, and avoid common mistakes. Grammar [HSK 6 · Phrases › Fixed phrases › Other fixed phrases](https://hskready.app/en/grammar/hsk-6#hsk-6-g023) # HSK 6 Fixed Phrase: 好（不）容易 In Chinese, the fixed phrase 好（不）容易 expresses that an action was completed or a state was reached only after considerable difficulty, effort, or waiting. When used before a verb phrase, both 好不容易 and 好容易 share the exact same meaning: 'with great difficulty' or 'finally'. Subject 好（不）容易 （才） Verb Phrase Example sentence 我们好不容易才买到回家的火车票。 wǒmen hǎo bù róngyì cái mǎi dào huíjiā de huǒchēpiào . We managed to buy the train tickets home only with great difficulty. Standard adverbial usage of 好不容易 paired with 才 before the verb phrase. A common mistake × 这道数学题太难了，我好不容易就做出来了。 zhè dào shùxué tí tài nán le , wǒ hǎo bù róngyì jiù zuò chūlái le . Intended: This math problem was so hard, I finally solved it with great difficulty. For the stated difficult-achievement reading, use 才 rather than 就 presenting the same result as readily achieved. The correction preserves the successful solution. This does not ban 就 in a later clause or in every other grammatical function. Corrected example: 这道数学题太难了，我好不容易才做出来。 **Read the full explanation and examples** ## Core Meaning and the Affirmative-Negative Equivalence In the supplied HSK 6 grammar outline (2025-11 edition, 2026-07 implementation label), 好（不）容易 is categorized under fixed phrases (固定短语). Note that this level designation reflects the referenced syllabus document rather than a guarantee of what appears on every currently administered exam version. In the hard-won reading illustrated here, 好容易 and 好不容易 can both mean “only after much effort or waiting.” 好容易才买到票 and 好不容易才买到票 express the same difficulty. Learn that conventional reading in context; it is not a general rule that removing 不 leaves every expression unchanged. “With great difficulty” is clearer English than “hardly,” which can instead mean “almost not.” 我们好不容易才买到回家的火车票。 wǒmen hǎo bù róngyì cái mǎi dào huíjiā de huǒchēpiào . We managed to buy the train tickets home only with great difficulty. Standard adverbial usage of 好不容易 paired with 才 before the verb phrase. 我们好容易才买到回家的火车票。 wǒmen hǎo róngyì cái mǎi dào huíjiā de huǒchēpiào . We managed to buy the train tickets home only with great difficulty. Omitting 不 before a verb + 才 structure keeps the exact same meaning ('with great difficulty'). In contemporary spoken and written Mandarin, 好不容易 is more common and prevents any potential ambiguity. However, you will frequently encounter 好容易 in literature, narratives, and reading comprehension passages with the exact same 'with great difficulty' meaning. ## Core Sentence Structures 好（不）容易 most frequently functions as an adverbial modifier placed between the subject and the verb phrase, or at the very beginning of a clause. It is very often paired with the adverb 才 (cái) immediately before the verb to emphasize that the result was achieved late, slowly, or at a high cost. Subject 好（不）容易 （才） Verb Phrase When 好（不）容易 introduces the first clause of a complex sentence, 才 is often omitted in the first clause if the speaker wants to focus on what happens next. In this two-clause setup, the first clause establishes a hard-won situation, and the second clause typically moves in one of two directions: either an unexpected disappointment ruins the effort, or the speaker urges cherishing the rare opportunity. 好（不）容易 Verb Phrase ， Follow-up Clause (Consequence / Suggestion) 好不容易放假一天，结果下了一整天大雨。 hǎo bù róngyì fàngjià yī tiān , jiéguǒ xià le yī zhěngtiān dàyǔ . I finally got a day off, only for it to rain heavily all day. First clause sets up a hard-won situation; the second clause introduces a disappointing turn of events. 大家平时都很忙，好不容易聚在一起，一定要多聊会儿。 dàjiā píngshí dōu hěn máng , hǎo bù róngyì jù zài yīqǐ , yīdìng yào duō liáo huìr . Everyone is usually so busy; now that we have finally managed to get together, we must chat a bit longer. Used to highlight how rare an opportunity is, justifying the suggestion in the follow-up clause. ## Important Limits and Contrasts The two forms share the hard-won reading in the ticket examples. Context and construction matter: do not decide the meaning solely by whether there is a following verb or by counting the character 不. - Hard-won adverbial use: 好容易才买到票 and 好不容易才买到票 both stress difficulty. 才 makes that interpretation especially clear. - For a plain assessment that a task is difficult, keep 不 in 真是好不容易. A conversational predicate such as 这道题好容易啊 can instead mean “This question is so easy!” The fixed hard-won reading should not be extended mechanically to every predicate use. - Expressing 'very easy' clearly: To avoid confusion in standard Chinese, speakers generally prefer 很容易 or 挺容易 when they literally mean something is easy, reserving 好（不）容易 for the fixed idiom meaning 'hard-won'. 父母把三个孩子抚养长大，真是好不容易。 fùmǔ bǎ sān gè háizi fǔyǎng zhǎngdà , zhēn shì hǎo bù róngyì . For parents to raise three children to adulthood is truly not easy at all. When used as a predicate at the end of a sentence to mean 'very difficult', 不 cannot be omitted. ## Common Learner Mistake: Pairing with 就 Instead of 才 For “I solved it only after considerable difficulty,” 才 matches the effort being emphasized. Using 就 to present this same achievement as easy or unexpectedly quick clashes with that intended reading. This is not a ban on all co-occurrence: 我好不容易买到票，结果很快就弄丢了 uses 就 in the following clause for a different event. × 这道数学题太难了，我好不容易就做出来了。 zhè dào shùxué tí tài nán le , wǒ hǎo bù róngyì jiù zuò chūlái le . Intended: This math problem was so hard, I finally solved it with great difficulty. For the stated difficult-achievement reading, use 才 rather than 就 presenting the same result as readily achieved. The correction preserves the successful solution. This does not ban 就 in a later clause or in every other grammatical function. Corrected example: 这道数学题太难了，我好不容易才做出来。 这道数学题太难了，我好不容易才做出来。 zhè dào shùxué tí tài nán le , wǒ hǎo bù róngyì cái zuò chūlái . This math problem was so hard; I only managed to solve it with great difficulty. Correct replacement for “这道数学题太难了，我好不容易就做出来了。”, using 才 to match the effort expressed by 好不容易. The model with 才 is complete without sentence-final 了. This is a useful model, not a universal rule that 才 and 了 cannot occur together; aspect and sentence-final change-of-state meanings depend on the surrounding construction. ## Frequently asked questions **Why do 好容易 and 好不容易 mean the same thing before a verb?** They share a conventional “hard-won” reading in examples such as 好容易才找到 and 好不容易才找到. This is an established expression to learn as a whole, not ordinary arithmetic with negation. The lesson does not establish a historical origin for the expression. **Can 好容易 ever literally mean 'very easy'?** Yes: 这道题好容易啊 can mean “This question is so easy!” In the ticket examples with 才, 好容易 has the conventional hard-won reading. Use context and the whole construction; use 很容易 when you want an unambiguous plain statement that something is easy. **Do I always have to use 才 after 好（不）容易?** No. While 才 is very common in single-clause sentences to stress the final result, it is frequently omitted in the first clause of a two-clause sentence when the speaker immediately moves on to a consequence or recommendation. **Source**[hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com · PDF page 401](https://hsk.cn-bj.ufileos.com/3.0/%E6%96%B0%E7%89%88HSK%E8%80%83%E8%AF%95%E5%A4%A7%E7%BA%B21219.pdf#page=401) ## Continue in the app Full mock exams are available in HSKReady. 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