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    Chinese Grammar

    Expressing 'not good' or 'poor' with 不佳 (bùjiā)

    Degree & Intensity
    Negation

    Structure

    Subject + 表现/状态/效果 + 不佳

    Explanation

    不佳 (bùjiā) is a formal way to express that something is 'not good' or 'poor' in quality or performance. It is more literary than 不好 and is commonly used in written Chinese, news reports, and formal evaluations to describe unsatisfactory results or conditions.

    Examples

    • 最近他的身体状况不佳,需要好好休息。

      Zuìjìn tā de shēntǐ zhuàngkuàng bù jiā, xūyào hǎohǎo xiūxi.

      His health has been poor recently, and he needs to rest well.

    • 由于天气不佳,航班延误了两个小时。

      Yóuyú tiānqì bù jiā, hángbān yánwù le liǎng ge xiǎoshí.

      Due to bad weather, the flight was delayed by two hours.

    • 这家餐厅的卫生条件不佳,我们换一家吧。

      Zhè jiā cāntīng de wèishēng tiáojiàn bù jiā, wǒmen huàn yì jiā ba.

      The sanitary conditions at this restaurant are poor — let's go to a different one.

    Expressing 'not good' or 'poor' with 不佳 (bùjiā) | Chinese Grammar