NetChai Chinese
很棒
hěn bàng
Great

很棒 (hěn bàng) is a common way to say "great" in Mandarin Chinese, meaning excellent, awesome, or fantastic. It's used to praise something or someone's performance or idea.

When to use it

Neutral. For stronger enthusiasm, use 太棒了 (tài bàng le). You can also just say 棒! (bàng!) as a simple exclamation. For "great" in the sense of "big" or "important," you would use different words like 伟大 (wěidà, "great, magnificent") or 巨大 (jùdà, "huge, enormous").

How to pronounce it

Sounds like "hun BUNG." The "hun" is a rising tone, and "BUNG" is a falling tone.

Other ways to say it

  • 太棒了tài bàng leawesome! fantastic! (more enthusiastic)
  • 真棒zhēn bàngreally great! (also enthusiastic)
  • 棒!bàng !Great! Awesome! (as an exclamation)

Examples

你的想法很棒!
nǐ de xiǎng fǎ hěn bàng !
Your idea is great!
这个表演太棒了!
zhè ge biǎo yǎn tài bàng le !
This performance is awesome!
你做得真棒!
nǐ zuò dé zhēn bàng !
You did a really great job!
Pro tip: You can often use just 棒! (bàng!) as a simple, enthusiastic exclamation meaning "Great!" or "Awesome!" when reacting to something positive, similar to "Cool!"

Related phrases

和平 · Peace钱 · Money闭嘴 · Shut up
Want to speak Chinese for real?
Start a free lesson with a native teacher →