只好 / 干脆 / 尽量 (Have No Choice / Just / As Much As Possible) | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

These three adverbs all comment on how a speaker deals with a situation, and English tends to reach for whole phrases where Chinese uses one word. 只好 (zhǐhǎo) is the resigned "I had no choice but to…" — you'd rather have done otherwise, but circumstances closed every other door. 干脆 (gāncuì) is the opposite energy: a decisive "let's just…," cutting through hesitation to do the cleaner, simpler thing. 尽量 (jǐnliàng) is the effortful "as much as you possibly can," pushing toward a limit. Getting these right is what lets you express attitude toward a choice — reluctance, decisiveness, or striving — instead of just naming the action.

只好: the reluctant last resort

只好 means "can only / have no choice but to." Its defining feature is no alternative: the preferred options are gone, so the speaker settles for what's left, usually with a touch of regret. You'll almost always find a reason clause explaining why the other doors are closed.

没有公交车了，我只好走路回家。

méiyǒu gōngjiāochē le, wǒ zhǐhǎo zǒulù huí jiā

There were no more buses, so I had to walk home. (informal) — walking is the fallback, not the wish.

票卖完了，我们只好改天再来。

piào mài wán le, wǒmen zhǐhǎo gǎitiān zài lái

The tickets were sold out, so we had no choice but to come another day. (neutral)

他怎么都不肯听，我也只好由他去了。

tā zěnme dōu bù kěn tīng, wǒ yě zhǐhǎo yóu tā qù le

He simply wouldn't listen, so I just had to let him do as he pleased. (informal) — resignation.

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只好 always carries "there was nothing else for it." If you would happily have chosen the action anyway — no reluctance, no closed doors — don't use 只好; a plain 就 or 决定 fits better. The feeling is being cornered into the option.

干脆: the decisive "just do it"

干脆 cuts through dithering. Faced with a fussy or drawn-out situation, the speaker resolves to take the clean, simple path: "forget it — let's just…," "we might as well…." It is a positive, take-charge feeling, the reverse of 只好's reluctance. It pairs beautifully with a 与其… ("rather than…") clause; see 与其…不如.

与其在这儿干等，干脆现在就走吧。

yǔqí zài zhèr gān děng, gāncuì xiànzài jiù zǒu ba

Rather than sit here waiting, let's just leave right now. (informal) — cutting through the delay.

这么麻烦，干脆别做了。

zhème máfan, gāncuì bié zuò le

This is such a hassle — let's just not bother. (informal)

既然你也要去，干脆我们一起走。

jìrán nǐ yě yào qù, gāncuì wǒmen yìqǐ zǒu

Since you're going too, let's just go together. (informal) — the tidy, obvious move.

干脆 also lives as an adjective meaning "straightforward, clear-cut, no dithering," describing a person's manner:

他这个人说话做事都很干脆。

tā zhège rén shuōhuà zuòshì dōu hěn gāncuì

He's decisive and to-the-point in everything he says and does. (neutral) — 干脆 as an adjective of character.

尽量: as much as possible

尽量 (jǐnliàng) urges pushing an action to the greatest extent the circumstances allow. It is the language of effort within limits — "try your best to," "as … as you can." Note the reading: 尽 here is jǐn ("to the utmost"), so 尽量 is jǐnliàng. It sits before the verb, and often before a comparative like 早点 or 少.

请尽量早点儿来。

qǐng jǐnliàng zǎo diǎnr lái

Please come as early as you can. (neutral) — maximum earliness within reason.

放心，我会尽量帮你的。

fàngxīn, wǒ huì jǐnliàng bāng nǐ de

Don't worry, I'll help you as much as I can. (informal)

天气不好，你们尽量少出门。

tiānqì bù hǎo, nǐmen jǐnliàng shǎo chūmén

The weather's bad, so try to go out as little as possible. (neutral) — 尽量 before the comparative 少.

The three at a glance

Adverb	Attitude	Implies	English
只好 (zhǐhǎo)	reluctant resignation	no other option is left	have no choice but to, can only
干脆 (gāncuì)	decisive resolve	cut the fuss, take the clean path	just, simply, might as well
尽量 (jǐnliàng)	striving effort	push to the limit of what's possible	as much as possible, do one's best to

Common Mistakes

1. Using 只好 for a free choice. 只好 means the alternatives are gone. If you willingly chose the action, it sounds wrong.

❌ 我很喜欢这家店，所以只好常来。

Contradictory — 'I love this shop so I'm forced to come often'; if you come by choice, say 所以常常来.

✅ 银行已经关门了，我只好明天再来。

yínháng yǐjīng guānmén le, wǒ zhǐhǎo míngtiān zài lái

The bank was already closed, so I had no choice but to come back tomorrow. — a genuine dead end.

2. Using 干脆 for a reluctant, forced situation. 干脆 is your own decisive call; for a cornered "no choice," use 只好.

❌ 没赶上末班车，我干脆走回家。

Off — a missed last bus is a forced situation, not a bold decision; use 只好走回家 for the reluctant fallback.

✅ 反正睡不着，干脆起来写点东西。

fǎnzhèng shuì bu zháo, gāncuì qǐlái xiě diǎn dōngxi

I can't sleep anyway, so I might as well get up and write something. — a decisive 'just do it.'

3. Confusing 尽量 (jǐnliàng, as much as possible) with 尽管 (jǐnguǎn, go ahead / feel free). They look alike but mean different things. "Feel free to ask" is 尽管问, not 尽量问.

❌ 有问题尽量问我。

Wrong word — this reads 'ask me as much as possible'; to say 'feel free to ask' use 有问题尽管问我.

✅ 有问题尽管问我。

yǒu wèntí jǐnguǎn wèn wǒ

If you have questions, feel free to just ask me. — 尽管 for 'go right ahead.'

4. Putting 尽量 after the verb. Like other pre-verbal adverbs, 尽量 comes before the verb it scales.

❌ 我会帮你尽量。

Wrong order — the adverb precedes the verb: 我会尽量帮你.

✅ 我会尽量帮你。

wǒ huì jǐnliàng bāng nǐ

I'll do my best to help you. — 尽量 before 帮.

Key Takeaways

只好 = "have no choice but to" — a reluctant last resort with no alternative left.
干脆 = "just / might as well" — a decisive cut through the fuss; also an adjective for a straightforward manner.
尽量 (jǐnliàng) = "as much as possible" — striving to the limit; note it sits before the verb.
Don't use 只好 for a willing choice, and don't confuse 尽量 (as much as possible) with 尽管 (feel free / even though).
For neighbouring stance adverbs of concession and indifference, see 毕竟 / 反正 / 幸亏; for how sure a speaker is of an outcome, see the certainty scale.

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