Meaning
还 is a highly versatile character with two main pronunciations and meanings. As 'hái', it functions as an adverb meaning 'still' or 'also', used to indicate continuation or addition. As 'huán', it means 'to return' or 'to give back'. The adverb usage is extremely common in everyday speech.
Usage
When pronounced 'hái', it's one of the most frequently used adverbs in Mandarin, appearing in questions (还好吗？'how are you?'), continuative statements (还在 'still doing'), and additions (还有 'also have'). The 'huán' pronunciation for 'return' appears in formal contexts and set phrases. Native speakers use 还 constantly in casual conversation.
Examples
- 01你还在北京吗？?Are you still in Beijing?
- 02请把书还给我。.Please return the book to me.
Common collocations
- 还是or; still
- 还有also have, in addition
- 还好not bad, passable
- 还没not yet
Antonyms
Origin
The traditional form 還 combines 辵 (movement) with 睘 (phonetic). Originally meant 'to return' (huán), the extended meaning of 'still' (hái) developed from the sense of going back to a previous state.