那样子?

[Menino80]

I asked one of my friends 你最近好吗? via email and her response was "那样子"，which I think literally means "like that", so I'm assuming it translates to roughly "not bad". Am I correct on this?谢谢你们

[skylee]

Shouldn't it be 老樣子 (same old same old)?

[Menino80]

I dunno, I just copy and pasted. I've never seen it before either, but I'm not much of an old hand at the slang. I did miss one though, she actually said 就那样子, I don't know if that changes the meaning at all though I doubt it.

[xiaocai]

Normally you will hear people say 就那样子. 那样子 doesn't sound like a complete phrase to me. So yes, the 就 is quite important here and the meaning would be changed if you drop it.

Edited April 30, 2010 at 03:58 PM by xiaocai
typo, :P

[edelweis]

erm xiaocai... then what does 就那样子 mean?

[xiaocai]

It's kind of like so so in English, I think? Something you would say when there is nothing exciting but nothing too bad as well. Another similar way to say it in Chinese which I can think of now would be 还过得去.

[Glenn]

I take it that would be like answering "it's going" to the question "how's it going?"

[edelweis]

ah...

"Communicative Talk" lists 凑合，还可以，还好，马马虎虎. I guess 就那样子 would be equivalent roughly to 马马虎虎 ?

凑合，还可以 and 还好 seem more optimistic somehow.

[xiaocai]

凑合，还可以，还好，马马虎虎

Yes, I think they are more or less the same. You can even say 还可以，就那样子 or 还好，就那样子, I think...

[edelweis]

thanks Xiaocai and Glenn.

Menino80 hope you don't mind the slight thread hijack

[monsterhaha]

那样子?may be u can hear 就那样儿! It just means that nothing special or not bad.还那样儿is more common in north of china

[tooironic]

There are many more ways to say so-so in Chinese; on top of what was already mentioned you might also say 还成.