非常 fēicháng ・ 很 hěn ・ 真 zhēn — Basic Degree Adverbs
Adjectives in Chinese almost never stand alone — they need a degree adverb in front of them. 很 hěn, 非常 fēicháng, and 真 zhēn are the first three you’ll meet, and each one carries a different feeling.
They all get translated as “very” in dictionaries, but 很 hěn is actually the neutral, low-key default — 非常 fēicháng carries real emphasis, and 真 zhēn adds a genuine, exclamatory tone.
1 Structure & Feel
The pattern is always Subject + Adverb + Adjective. What changes is the weight each adverb adds.
| Word | Feel | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 很 hěn | Neutral, default | Often required just to make a statement sound complete — not necessarily strong “very” |
| 非常 fēicháng | Strong emphasis | Closer to “extremely” — a real, marked degree |
| 真 zhēn | Genuine, exclamatory | Adds a sense of surprise or sincerity — “really / truly” |
很 hěn — The Neutral Default
非常 fēicháng — Strong Emphasis
真 zhēn — Genuine & Exclamatory
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2 Common Mistake
A plain “Subject + Adjective” sentence without any adverb sounds unnaturally curt in Chinese — almost like an implied comparison. 很 hěn is often required just to make the sentence feel complete, even without strong “very” meaning.
3 Practice
Translate each sentence into Chinese, then tap the card to check your answer.
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