凑合

còu he

HSK 2.0 Level 6 HSK 3.0 Level 7 Verb Uncommon

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Definitions

1. to bring together
2. to make do in a bad situation
3. to just get by
4. to improvise
5. passable
6. not too bad

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Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 讲究 jiǎng jiu 讲究 jiǎng jiu to pay particular attention to to be particular about quality: to pay particular attention to

Related words

1 item

• 拼凑 pīn còu 拼凑 pīn còu to assemble to piece together: to assemble

Synonyms

2 items

• 对付 duì fu 对付 duì fu to handle; to deal with; to tackle to make do: to handle; to deal with; to tackle
• 将就 jiāng jiu 将就 jiāng jiu to accept (a bit reluctantly) to just get by: to accept (a bit reluctantly)

Usage notes

Common mistakes

凑合 is informal; in formal settings, use 将就 or 勉强接受 instead.

Cultural notes

Often used to express a modest, pragmatic attitude, typical in Chinese culture: '还行，凑合吧' (It's okay, passable).

Example Sentences

1 shown

这件衣服虽然不太好看，但是还能 凑合 着穿。

Although this piece of clothing is not very nice-looking, it can still make do to wear.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 凑合

• 合 合 hé: to close
• 合 合 gě: 100 ml
• 凑 凑 còu: to gather together, pool or collect