What Does 幸好 (xìng hǎo) Mean in Chinese?
Enhanced context lessonCommon
Luckily / Fortunately
Quick answer: What does 幸好 mean?
幸好 — 幸好 marks a fortunate fact that prevented a worse result or made a problem manageable.
✓Luckily…
✓Fortunately…
✓It’s a good thing…
What Chinese people actually mean
It often pairs with an imagined negative outcome: “Luckily we did X; otherwise Y would have happened.” It carries relief, not merely a neutral description of good luck.
Literal meaning
Literally, fortunately or luckily.
When not to use it
Do not use 幸好 when the outcome was bad and you have no fortunate contrast to point to.
Common mistakes
- It marks relief that something turned out better than it might have.
Chinese characters
Open each character to see its own meanings and vocabulary links.
Real conversations
1 · Rain starts
A: 外面下大雨了。
wàimiàn xià dàyǔ le.
A: It’s raining hard outside.
B: 幸好我带了伞。
xìng hǎo wǒ dài le sǎn.
B: Good thing I brought an umbrella.
2 · Nearly missing a train
A: 我们差点误了火车。
wǒmen chàdiǎn wù le huǒchē.
A: We almost missed the train.
B: 幸好车晚点了。
xìng hǎo chē wǎndiǎn le.
B: Luckily the train was delayed.
How to pronounce 幸好
幸好
Tap to hear Mandarin.
When to use it
✓Usually introduces the fortunate reason the outcome was better.
✓Often sounds relieved.
✓幸亏 is a close alternative in many contexts.
Sources and editorial note
Base dictionary data: CC-CEDICT · CC BY-SA 4.0.Context lesson: Original Chinese Meaning context lesson; examples written for this site.