合格 (hé gé) literally combines 合 (‘to conform to’ or ‘to meet’) and 格 (‘standard’, ‘criterion’, or ‘specification’), so it means ‘meeting the required standard’ or ‘up to specification’. It is most commonly used as an adjective describing people, products, tests, or procedures that satisfy official, professional, or institutional requirements.

This word appears frequently in formal and administrative contexts — such as education (e.g., passing an exam), healthcare (e.g., lab results meeting clinical thresholds), manufacturing (e.g., quality control), and employment (e.g., certification). While it can occasionally function as a verb (e.g., 这个产品合格了), it is far more common as a predicate adjective after 是 or in stative constructions. It carries a neutral-to-positive connotation, signaling compliance rather than excellence — something that passes the bar, not necessarily excels beyond it.