Making judgments with "suan"

The word 算 (suàn) has a number of uses which can be translated in a number of ways. None of these is particularly hard to understand, but for the sake of clarity, we've brought them all together in one place. The common theme is that 算 indicates some kind of judgment, and may be thought of as "counts as" or "is considered to be."

算 in the Positive Pattern

Besides these commonly used fixed expressions, the word 算 (suàn) or the phrase "还算" (hái suàn) can also be used together with an adjective.

Structure

Subj. + (还) 算 + Adj.

Examples

• 这 家 店 的 东西 算 便宜。Zhè jiā diàn de dōngxi suàn piányi.The things in this shop are fairly cheap.
• 我 家 的 宝宝 还 算 听话。Wǒ jiā de bǎobao hái suàn tīnghuà.My baby fairly does what it's told.
• 这 个 城市 还 算 干净。Zhège chéngshì hái suàn gānjìng.This city is fairly clean.
• 这 里 还 算 安静。Zhèlǐ hái suàn ānjìng.This place is fairly quiet.
• 这 个 人 还 算 诚实。Zhège rén hái suàn chéngshí.This person is fairly honest.

算 in the Negative Pattern

Structure

Subj. + 不算 + Adj.

• 三十岁 结婚 不 算 晚。Sānshí suì jiéhūn bù suàn wǎn.It can't be considered to be late to get married at 30.
• 我 男朋友 身高 才 一 米 七五，不 算 高。Wǒ nánpéngyou shēngāo cái yī mǐ qīwǔ, bù suàn gāo.My boyfriend's height is only 1.75 meter. It can't be considered to be tall.

Examples

Sources and further reading

Books