'还好' (hái hǎo) is an adverbial phrase meaning 'not bad' or 'luckily' — it expresses mild relief, modest satisfaction, or a positive outcome relative to low expectations. Literally, 还 means 'still' or 'yet', and 好 means 'good'; together they suggest 'it’s still good' or 'at least it’s okay', implying things could have been worse. It often appears at the beginning or middle of a sentence and softens statements, adding humility or understatement.

This phrase is common in spoken Chinese and conveys emotional nuance rather than objective evaluation. It’s frequently used when responding to questions about well-being ('How are you?'), describing outcomes ('The test wasn’t too hard'), or expressing gratitude for fortunate turns ('Luckily, I caught the train'). Unlike stronger terms like 很好 (very good), 还好 downplays positivity — making it polite, modest, and context-sensitive, especially in self-assessments or when discussing setbacks.