Chinese character 够

It says an amount or standard is enough. In 够好 (“good enough”), it means the quality meets a requirement; it does not promise excellence.

Mandarin spells its reading in Pinyin as gòu; Cantonese has a different spoken reading for the same written word. The earliest dictionary evidence for 夠 is in the Yùpiān, a Chinese character dictionary compiled during the Southern Dynasties, an early medieval period in China. Later rhyme dictionaries glossed it as “many” or “gathered”; these old glosses do not establish how the character was first formed.

When can 够了 mean “stop”?

After unwanted pressure, it can mean “stop.” If someone offered more food or money, it may simply mean the amount is enough. If they have kept questioning or pushing you, take it as a firm boundary and stop.

Is 够 the same as 夠?

They write the same word with the components arranged differently. Simplified Chinese uses 够 as its standard form; traditional Chinese uses 夠.

In 1955, a mainland list of variant characters selected 够 for standard writing. Taiwan’s Ministry of Education variant dictionary records 够 as a variant of 夠. The date marks a decision about standard writing, not the character’s invention or a change in meaning.