只好 (zhǐhǎo) is an adverb used to express that someone has no choice but to do something. It indicates a situation where all other options are unavailable or undesirable, so the speaker is reluctantly left with one possible action.
Structure:
..., (subject) + 只好 + [verb phrase]
Sample Sentences
公车不开了，我们只好走路回家。The bus stopped running, so we had no choice but to walk home.
我忘记带钱，只好用手机支付。I forgot to bring money, so I had no choice but to pay with my phone.
没人帮我，我只好自己想办法。No one helped me, so I had no choice but to figure it out myself.
In a Text
昨天下了一整天的雨，我原本打算和朋友去公园野餐。可是早上起来一看，地上全是水，天气又冷又湿，我们只好改变计划，去咖啡馆聊天。后来，雨越下越大，连回家的路都被淹了，我只好打车回去。虽然有点失望，但至少我们还是度过了一个愉快的下午。
淹 (yān): to flood; to submerge; to drown
It rained all day yesterday. I had originally planned to go for a picnic in the park with my friends. But when I woke up in the morning, the ground was soaked, and the weather was cold and damp, so we had no choice but to change our plans and go to a café to chat instead. Later, the rain got even heavier, and the roads home were flooded, so I had no choice but to take a taxi. Although I was a bit disappointed, we still had a pleasant afternoon.
Enjoying Mandarin Zest? Help us keep creating weekly posts by making a monthly or yearly pledge. Every bit of support counts — 谢谢！