Declaring the Only Option with “zhǐhǎo”
只好
How it works
只好 (zhǐhǎo) is used when someone has no better choice and must do something because the situation leaves only one possible option.
In English, it is often close to:
have no choice but to...
can only...
be forced to...
This pattern often shows that the speaker is not fully happy with the result, but accepts it because there is no practical alternative.
The pattern
Example sentences
雨太大了，我们只好不去了。
The rain is too heavy, so we have no choice but not to go.
没有公交车，我只好走回家。
There was no bus, so I had no choice but to walk home.
他生病了，只好请假。
He got sick, so he had no choice but to ask for leave.
Key point
Do not use 只好 (zhǐhǎo) if the speaker is simply making a normal choice freely.
For example:
我喜欢这个，所以我买了。 Wǒ xǐhuan zhège, suǒyǐ wǒ mǎi le. I liked it, so I bought it.
This is a normal choice, so 只好 (zhǐhǎo) is not suitable.
But:
没别的办法，我只好买这个。 Méi bié de bànfǎ, wǒ zhǐhǎo mǎi zhège. There was no other way, so I had no choice but to buy this one.
This is the correct feeling for 只好 (zhǐhǎo).