The word 健忘 looks like a contradictio in adiecto: "healthy" + "forget". Am I missing something?
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No. It's a neutral word– 炸鱼薯条德里克Commented Oct 5, 2019 at 12:54
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2 Answers
健 in this word means to be good at, to be skilled at.
健忘 means to be good at forgetting > forgetful.
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So, indeed, 健 is ironic here, because forgetting is not a trained skill to be good at? Commented Oct 5, 2019 at 10:49
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@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Commented Oct 7, 2019 at 2:02
健 is not meaning healthy,it means "good at something",like 健谈 means good at talking,康in健康means fine,healthy
