so-so
/ˈsəʊˌsəʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈsoʊˌsoʊ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsō-ˈsō/ (ame, mw) · /ˌsəʊ ˈsəʊ/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌsəʊ ˈsəʊ/ (ame, ipa)
so-so — 形容詞
1. okay but not impressive — somewhere between fine and disappointing, with nothing
普普通通
還可以但不出色的
okay but not impressive — somewhere between fine and disappointing, with nothing about it that stands out as good.
The new café near the station serves so-so coffee but wonderful cakes.
車站附近那家新咖啡館的咖啡普普通通，但蛋糕很棒。
attributive: so-so + noun
Shanti gave the film a so-so review, saying the acting saved a weak plot.
Shanti 給這部電影的評價普普通通，說演技救了薄弱的劇情。
so-so describing a thing's overall quality
"How was the hotel?" "So-so — clean rooms, but the food was awful."
「飯店怎麼樣？」「普普通通──房間乾淨，但食物很糟。」
After a so-so first half, the team played much better once Mauricio came on.
上半場踢得普普通通，等 Mauricio 上場後，球隊才打得好多了。
Roya thought her exam results were so-so, neither a pass to celebrate nor a real failure.
Roya 覺得自己的考試成績普普通通，不值得慶祝，也不算真的不及格。
- excellent
clearly impressive, the opposite of unremarkable
- outstanding
stands out as far above average
用法筆記
Almost always informal and used before a noun or as a one-word reply to a question about quality. Carries a mild, slightly disappointed tone — better than 'bad', clearly short of 'good'.
常見錯誤
so-so — 副詞
1. in a way that is acceptable but not good — managing fine without doing anything
馬馬虎虎
做得還行但不算好
in a way that is acceptable but not good — managing fine without doing anything especially well.
"How are you sleeping these days?" "So-so — I wake up once or twice most nights."
「你最近睡得怎麼樣？」「馬馬虎虎──大部分晚上會醒個一兩次。」
informal reply about how something is going
The little shop is doing so-so this month, enough to pay the rent but not much more.
那家小店這個月生意馬馬虎虎，夠付房租，但也賺不了多少。
so-so describing how an activity is going
Wren plays the violin only so-so, yet she practises every single evening.
Wren 小提琴拉得馬馬虎虎，卻每天晚上都練習。
Iker speaks French so-so, enough to order food but not to follow a fast conversation.
Iker 法文說得馬馬虎虎，夠點餐，但跟不上快速的對話。
- tolerably
more formal way of saying 'acceptably but not well'
- moderately
neutral degree word; so-so adds the sense of being unremarkable
- excellently
to a very high standard, the opposite of so-so
用法筆記
Used after a verb to say an action goes neither well nor badly; very informal and most common as a short spoken answer like "So-so." Distinguish from the adjective, which sits before a noun rather than after a verb.