Grammar Point:
In Chinese, adjectives are often used differently than in English, and one of the notable features is the use of the word 很 hěn when describing nouns with adjectives. Let me explain how this works:
What is Chinese Adjectives?
Chinese adjectives (also known as stative verbs, or state verbs) are used to describe the mood, weather, appearance, or characteristics of a person or an object. For example:
累 lèi tired
热 rè hot
漂亮 piàoliɑnɡ pretty
高 ɡāo high
开心 kāixīn happy
The Difference Between Chinese and English
In English, descriptions are formed using the structure “be verb + adjective,” as in “She is pretty.” In Chinese, since stative verbs are a type of verb, there is no need to add the “be verb” before the adjective. Therefore, “She is pretty” is simply translated as “她漂亮” tā piàoliɑnɡ. However, it is important to note that stative verbs in Chinese typically require an adverb, except when making a comparison. Therefore, “她漂亮” tā piàoliɑnɡ is not the most common way to express this idea.
It should be:
她她很很漂亮漂亮
She is pretty.
她她不不漂亮漂亮
She is not pretty.
她她非常非常漂亮漂亮
She is very pretty.
她漂亮,我不漂亮她漂亮,我不漂亮
She is pretty, I am not pretty.(a comparison)
Note: If an adverb of degree is not used with an adjectival predicate, a contrast is implied even though it is not explicitly stated.
她漂亮她漂亮
She is pretty (but I am not.)
這個蛋糕好吃这个蛋糕好吃
This cake tastes good. (but that cake is terrible)
But I want to say she “is” pretty, not “very” pretty
很 hěn is translated as “very” in many dictionaries, but it does not carry as strong a meaning as “very.” The word for “very” in Chinese is actually 非常 fēichánɡ. Therefore, if you do not want to emphasize the degree of how pretty someone is, using 很 hěn on its own would be good.
我很難過我很难过
I am sad.
他很高他很高
He is tall.
Other adverbs I can use
Not | 不 bù |
Not too | 不太 bú tài |
A little bit | 有一点 yǒu yìdiǎn |
(is) | 很 hěn |
Really | 真 zhēn |
So | 好 hǎo |
Very | 非常 fēicháng |
Too | 太…了 tài…le |
I just wanted to share this video showcasing how adorable my dog is.😂 (Well…you can see how she wags her tail to express various levels of happiness.)
Note: Usually, 有一点 yǒu yìdiǎn is used with a negative adjective to express a small degree of negativity. It is not common to say “a little bit good” in Chinese.
天氣太熱了天气太热了
The weather is too hot!
台灣的茶非常好喝台湾的茶非常好喝
Taiwan tea taste very good.
我今天有一點累我今天有一点累
I am a little tired today.
中文不難中文不难
Chinese is not hard.
- Adverbs for Adjective 1
(很 hěn, 非常 fēicháng, 太 tài, 真 zhēn, and 最 zuì)