<p>健 in this word means <em>to be good at, to be skilled at</em>.</p>

<p>健忘 means <em>to be good at forgetting</em> > <em>forgetful</em>.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-05T10:49:27.313Z
So, indeed, 健 is ironic here, because forgetting is not a trained skill to be good at?
user22495
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-07T02:02:24.433Z
@user22495 To Chinese speakers there's no irony because 健's meaning has changed.  It's like "natural makeup" or "accurate stereotype".
范阮煌
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-05T09:15:02.377Z
2019-10-05T09:15:02.377Z
dROOOze
<p>健 is not meaning healthy,it means "good at something",like 健谈 means good at talking,康in健康means fine,healthy</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-05T09:13:32.083Z
2019-10-05T09:13:32.083Z
John Zhang
<p>The word 健忘 looks like a contradictio in adiecto: "healthy" + "forget". Am I missing something? </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-10-05T12:54:20.340Z
No. It's a neutral word
炸鱼薯条德里克
<meaning-in-context>
Is the 健 in 健忘 ("forgetful") ironic?
# Is the 健 in 健忘 ("forgetful") ironic?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2019-10-05)

The word 健忘 looks like a contradictio in adiecto: "healthy" + "forget". Am I missing something?

**Tags:** meaning-in-context

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: No. It's a neutral word  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2019-10-05. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

健 in this word means *to be good at, to be skilled at*.

健忘 means *to be good at forgetting* > *forgetful*.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: So, indeed, 健 is ironic here, because forgetting is not a trained skill to be good at?  
> **username_3**: @username_0 To Chinese speakers there's no irony because 健's meaning has changed.  It's like "natural makeup" or "accurate stereotype".  

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### Answer by username_4 on 2019-10-05. Score: 0

健 is not meaning healthy,it means "good at something",like 健谈 means good at talking,康in健康means fine,healthy


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