yīnwèi yìzhí késou, tā xiàwǔ zhǐhǎo qǐngjià huíjiā xiūxi.

因为 means because and introduces the reason.

In Mandarin, 因为 ... 所以 ... is a very common pattern:

• 因为一直咳嗽，所以她下午只好请假回家休息。

But 所以 is often omitted when the meaning is already clear, especially in natural speech and writing. So this sentence is completely normal without it:

• 因为一直咳嗽，她下午只好请假回家休息。

So:

• 因为 = introduces the cause
• 所以 = introduces the result
• using both is common
• using only 因为 is also fine here

The subject is understood from the main clause: 她.

So 因为一直咳嗽 literally means because [she was] continuously coughing. Mandarin often leaves out a subject when it is obvious from context.

This is very common. English usually repeats the subject more often, but Chinese does not need to if it is clear.

You could also say:

• 因为她一直咳嗽，她下午只好请假回家休息。

That version is also correct, but the original is more concise.

Here 一直 means continuously, the whole time, or persistently.

So 一直咳嗽 means:

• coughing nonstop
• coughing continuously
• having an ongoing cough

It emphasizes duration, not just one single cough.

Compare:

• 咳嗽 = to cough / to have a cough
• 一直咳嗽 = to keep coughing

In this sentence, it explains why she had to go home: it was not just a small cough, but an ongoing one.

It can function as both, depending on context.

In this sentence, it is a verb:

• 一直咳嗽 = to keep coughing

But it can also refer to a cough as a symptom:

• 她有点咳嗽。 = She has a bit of a cough.

So many health-related words in Chinese can work flexibly like this.

A pronunciation note learners often ask about:

• 咳嗽 is usually pronounced késou
• the second syllable is often in a neutral tone

Because the sentence begins with a reason clause:

• 因为一直咳嗽， = Because she had been coughing continuously,
• 她下午只好请假回家休息。 = she had no choice but to ask for leave and go home to rest in the afternoon.

Chinese often puts background information first, then the main statement.

You could also say:

• 她因为一直咳嗽，下午只好请假回家休息。

That is also grammatical. The original version simply foregrounds the reason first.

No. 只好 is a fixed expression meaning:

• to have no choice but to
• to be forced by circumstances to

So:

• 她下午只好请假回家休息。 = She had no choice but to ask for leave and go home to rest that afternoon.

It does not mean only good.

This phrase often suggests:

1. the speaker did not really want this outcome, or
2. it happened because the situation made it necessary

Examples:

• 下雨了，我们只好待在家里。
  It started raining, so we had no choice but to stay home.
• 太晚了，我只好打车。
  It was too late, so I had no choice but to take a taxi.

请假 means to ask for leave or to take time off from work or school.

It literally has the sense of requesting leave.

Common examples:

• 请一天假 = take one day off
• 跟老师请假 = ask the teacher for leave
• 跟老板请假 = ask the boss for leave

In this sentence:

• 只好请假回家休息 means she had to take leave in order to go home and rest.

So it is not just leave in the abstract; it often implies getting permission from work, school, or some authority.

This is a common Chinese pattern called a serial verb construction. Chinese often places several actions one after another when they happen in sequence or are closely connected.

Here the sequence is:

1. 请假 = ask for leave
2. 回家 = go home
3. 休息 = rest

So the sentence flows naturally as:

• she had no choice but to ask for leave, go home, and rest

Chinese often does this without words like and, in order to, or then, even though English usually needs them.

A natural English expansion would be:

• She had no choice but to take time off and go home to rest.

下午 is a time expression meaning in the afternoon.

In Chinese, time expressions usually come before the main verb phrase. That is why it appears before 只好请假回家休息.

Basic order:

• subject + time + verb phrase

So:

• 她下午只好请假回家休息。

This means:

• she
  • in the afternoon
    • had no choice but to ask for leave and go home to rest

You could think of it as setting the time before describing the action.

Yes. That would also be natural.

Compare:

• 因为一直咳嗽
• 因为她一直在咳嗽

Both are correct, but they feel slightly different.

一直咳嗽

• more concise
• focuses on the ongoing symptom as a general situation

一直在咳嗽

• highlights the ongoing action a bit more vividly
• similar to was continuously coughing

So:

• 因为一直咳嗽，她下午只好请假回家休息。
• 因为她一直在咳嗽，她下午只好请假回家休息。

Both work well.

Because 回家休息 already sounds complete and natural in Chinese.

It literally means:

• go home and rest

Sometimes you may hear:

• 回家去休息

That is also possible, but 去 is often omitted when the meaning is clear. Chinese frequently leaves out words that are understood from context.

So:

• 回家休息 = very natural
• 回家去休息 = also fine, slightly fuller

In this sentence, omitting 去 keeps it smooth and concise.

Yes, to some extent.

Original:

• 因为一直咳嗽，她下午只好请假回家休息。

Also natural:

• 她下午因为一直咳嗽，只好请假回家休息。

This version keeps 她 at the beginning and places the reason inside the sentence.

You could also say:

• 她因为一直咳嗽，下午只好请假回家休息。

All of these are understandable. The difference is mostly about emphasis:

• 因为一直咳嗽，...
  puts the reason first
• 她下午...
  puts the subject/time first

Chinese word order is somewhat flexible, but the original sentence is very natural because it presents the cause first and then the result.

Yes, a few common ones:

• 因为 = yīnwèi
• 一直 = yìzhí
• 咳嗽 = késou
• 只好 = zhǐhǎo
• 请假 = qǐngjià
• 休息 = xiūxi

Two especially useful notes:

1. 咳嗽 often has a neutral-tone second syllable:

   • késou, not strongly késuò

2. 休息 also often has a neutral-tone second syllable:

   • xiūxi, not strongly xiūxī

That neutral tone is very common in everyday speech and helps you sound more natural.