只好 zhǐ hǎo
“to have no other option but to ...; to have to; to be forced to”
adverbHSK 4 · 2021 list level 3
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
只好 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 1951: 只好 zhǐhǎo — Level 4; official annotation 4 (副). PDF page 128
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 只好
只好 is an adverb meaning “to have no other choice but to” or “to be forced to.” It comes after the subject and before a verb phrase, usually after a situation that leaves no alternative. Pattern: (subject) + 只好 + verb phrase.
例句Example sentences
- 下雨了，我们只好在家里看电视。xià yǔ le, wǒ men zhǐ hǎo zài jiā lǐ kàn diàn shì.It started raining, so we had no choice but to watch TV at home.
- 公交车已经走了，我只好等下一班。gōng jiāo chē yǐ jīng zǒu le, wǒ zhǐ hǎo děng xià yì bān.The bus had already left, so I had to wait for the next one.
- 我的手机没电了，只好用朋友的手机打电话。wǒ de shǒu jī méi diàn le, zhǐ hǎo yòng péng you de shǒu jī dǎ diàn huà.My phone was out of battery, so I had no choice but to use my friend's phone to call.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗只好我回家。
✓我只好回家。
只好 is an adverb; it comes after the subject, not before it.
-
✗我只好是回家。
✓我只好回家。
In this sentence 是 cannot be inserted before the verb phrase 回家; 只好 directly modifies 回家.