HSK 6 grammar · new HSK syllabus
透了 and 好不容易: extremely; with great difficulty
糟透了 = terrible; 好不容易才找到 = finally found after a lot of trouble.
Structure
- Adjective / verb + 透了
- 好（不）容易 + 才 + verb
How it works
透了 after an adjective means “completely, extremely”, often for bad things: 糟透了, 累透了, 坏透了.
好容易 and 好不容易 both mean “with great difficulty” and are usually followed by 才: 我好不容易才买到票.
Examples
-
今天的天气糟透了。
The weather today is awful.
-
工作了一整天，我累透了。
After working all day, I’m exhausted.
-
我好不容易才买到这两张票。
I had a real struggle to get these two tickets.
-
我们好容易才找到这家饭馆。
We had a hard time finding this restaurant.
-
这个人坏透了。
This person is rotten to the core.
Words in these examples (29)
| 今天 | jīntiān | today | HSK 1 |
| 的 | de | (particle linking a describer to a noun, like "'s") | HSK 1 |
| 天气 | tiānqì | weather | HSK 1 |
| 糟 | zāo | dregs; draff; pickled in wine | HSK 5 |
| 透 | tòu | to penetrate; to seep through; to tell secretly; to leak; thoroughly; through and through | HSK 6 |
| 了 | le | (particle marking a completed action or a change) | HSK 1 |
| 工作 | gōngzuò | to work; job; work | HSK 1 |
| 一 | yī | one | HSK 1 |
| 整 | zhěng | whole; complete | HSK 4 |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky | HSK 1 |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me | HSK 1 |
| 累 | lèi | tired | HSK 2 |
| 好 | hǎo | good; well | HSK 1 |
| 不 | bù | not; no | HSK 1 |
| 容易 | róngyì | easy | HSK 3 |
| 才 | cái | only then; only; just | HSK 3 |
| 买 | mǎi | to buy | HSK 1 |
| 到 | dào | to arrive; to go to | HSK 1 |
| 这 | zhè | this | HSK 1 |
| 两 | liǎng | two (before a measure word) | HSK 1 |
| 张 | zhāng | (measure word for flat things: paper, tables, tickets); to open | HSK 3 |
| 票 | piào | ticket | HSK 2 |
| 我们 | wǒmen | we; us | HSK 1 |
| 找 | zhǎo | to look for; to find | HSK 1 |
| 家 | jiā | home; family; (measure word for shops and companies) | HSK 1 |
| 饭馆 | fànguǎn | restaurant | HSK 2 |
| 这个 | zhège | this one | HSK 1 |
| 人 | rén | person; people | HSK 1 |
| 坏 | huài | bad; broken | HSK 2 |
Common mistakes
-
✗好不容易我找到了。
✓我好不容易才找到。
好不容易 goes after the subject and is followed by 才.
-
✗很糟透了
✓糟透了
No 很 with 透了.
Check yourself
Choose the word that fills the gap.
1. 我等了三个小时，好不容易 等到他。
2. 这次考试我考得糟 。
3. 我 才把作业写完。