好 as Result Complement

Imagine you are cooking dinner for a friend. You finish boiling the water. You finish chopping the onions. Finally, the meal is on the table. In English, you might just say, "I finished cooking." In Chinese, you would use 好 to show the meal is ready to eat. You attach 好 directly to the back of your verb. This creates a new meaning. It combines the action with a sense of completion and preparation. It is very common in daily life. You will hear it in restaurants, offices, and at home. It adds a layer of "quality control" to your sentences. If you just use 完 (wán), you are just saying the clock stopped. If you use 好, you are saying the job was done right.

1. 1Using this grammar is like building a small sandwich. Follow these three easy steps:
2. 2Start with your main action verb (like 做 - to do, or 买 - to buy).
3. 3Add 好 immediately after that verb with no space.
4. 4Usually, add 了 (le) at the very end to show the state has changed.
5. 5The basic formula looks like this: Verb + 好 + 了.
6. 6For example: 准备 (to prepare) + 好 + 了 = 准备好了 (Prepared and ready). It is a tight unit. Do not put other words between the verb and 好. If you want to make it negative, just put 没 (méi) before the verb and remove the 了. For example: 还没准备好 (Not ready yet).

Use this pattern when you want to sound like a pro. Use it when you have finished a task and everything is perfect. Here are some real-world scenarios:

• Ordering Food: When you have finally decided what you want, say 我想好了 (I have thought it through/decided).
• Getting Ready: When your shoes are on and you are at the door, tell your friends 我准备好了 (I am ready).
• Job Interviews: If the interviewer asks if you finished a test, say 我做好了 (I have finished it successfully).
• Daily Errands: If you bought the right train tickets, say 票买好了 (The tickets are bought and ready).

It is all about that "ready" state. If the result of your action allows you to move to the next phase of your day, 好 is your best friend. Even native speakers rely on this to avoid confusion.

Do not use 好 for every finished action. Some things don't have a "ready" state. For example, if you finish a marathon, you are just tired. You wouldn't say you "ran well-ready." In that case, use 完 (wán). Also, avoid using 好 for negative results. If you accidentally broke a vase, you didn't "break it well." That would be a very strange thing to say! Only use it when the completion is positive, intentional, or leads to a state of readiness. If you are just stopping because you are bored, 好 is not the right choice. It requires a sense of purpose.

One big mistake is forgetting the 了. Without 了, the sentence feels like it is floating in mid-air. 我做好 sounds like you are describing a general habit, not a finished action. Another mistake is putting the object in the wrong place. Usually, the object comes after the whole Verb + 好 unit. Say 我做好了功课 (I finished my homework). Don't say 我做功课好. That sounds like you are saying your homework is a good person! Also, don't confuse 好 with the adverb "very." If you say 好做, it means "easy to do." But 做好 means "finished doing." The order changes everything. It is like the difference between "house fire" and "fire house."

The biggest rival to 好 is 完 (wán). They both mean "finished," but they feel different.

• 做完 (zuò wán) means you reached the end of the task. Maybe you did a bad job, but you stopped.
• 做好 (zuò hǎo) means you finished it and it is correct or ready to be used.

Think of it like a school project. If you just scribbled something on a page to stop working, that is 做完. If you checked your spelling and put it in a folder, that is 做好. Another similar one is 到 (dào), which means you successfully reached a goal (like 看到 - to see). 好 is more about the quality and readiness of the result.