Very, More & Most in Chinese 程度
chéngdù
Very / more / most in Chinese are 很 / 更 / 最 (hěn / gèng / zuì).
Also searched for as: very, more, most, comparatives.
How much? Turn it up or down. 15 essential very, more & most words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
To make something stronger or weaker in Chinese, put a degree word before the adjective: 很 (hěn), very, 非常 (fēi cháng), extremely, or 有点儿 (yǒu diǎnr), a bit. This list also covers comparisons with 更 (gèng) and 最 (zuì), and lively spoken forms like 太…了 (tài…le), 'so…!', and …极了 (jí le), 'extremely'. Mixing these in sounds far more natural than repeating 很 every time.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 很 | hěn | very |
| 太 | tài | too; so |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | extremely |
| 真 | zhēn | really |
| 最 | zuì | most |
| 更 | gèng | even more |
| 比较 | bǐ jiào | fairly; relatively |
| 有点儿 | yǒu diǎnr | a bit (usually negative) |
| 挺 | tǐng | quite |
| 特别 | tè bié | especially |
| 极了 | jí le | extremely (after adjective) |
| 越来越 | yuè lái yuè | more and more |
| 差不多 | chà bu duō | about the same; almost |
| 几乎 | jī hū | almost |
| 一点儿也不 | yī diǎnr yě bù | not at all |
Usage tips
- 太 (tài) usually pairs with 了 (le): 太好了 (tài hǎo le) means 'great!', and 太贵了 (tài guì le) 'too expensive'.
- 有点儿 (yǒu diǎnr) almost always signals something negative or unwanted, as in 有点儿累 (yǒu diǎnr lèi), 'a bit tired', so it sounds odd with positive words like 好.
- 挺 (tǐng) is common in casual speech and often ends with 的: 挺好的 (tǐng hǎo de), 'pretty good'.
Common mistakes
- Using 很 (hěn) in comparisons, as in 他比我很高: say 他比我高 (tā bǐ wǒ gāo), 他比我高很多 (tā bǐ wǒ gāo hěn duō) or 他比我更高 (tā bǐ wǒ gèng gāo).
- Putting 极了 (jí le) before the adjective: it comes after, as in 好极了 (hǎo jí le), 'fantastic'.
Mini dialogue
- A今天比昨天更冷了。Jīn tiān bǐ zuó tiān gèng lěng le.Today's even colder than yesterday.
- B是啊，我有点儿冷。Shì a, wǒ yǒu diǎnr lěng.Yes, I'm a bit cold.
- A我们去喝杯热茶吧，那家店的茶非常好喝。Wǒ men qù hē bēi rè chá ba, nà jiā diàn de chá fēi cháng hǎo hē.Let's go and get a hot tea; the tea in that place is excellent.
- B太好了！Tài hǎo le!Great idea!
Example sentences
- 我很高兴。I'm very happy.
- 太好了！Great!
- 这个菜非常好吃。This dish is extremely tasty.
- 你真好！You're so kind!
- 我最喜欢夏天。I like summer the most.
- 今天比昨天更冷。Today is even colder than yesterday.
- 这里比较安静。It's fairly quiet here.
- 我有点儿累。I'm a bit tired.
- 这件衣服挺好看的。This top is quite nice.
- 我特别喜欢吃饺子。I especially love dumplings.
- 这里的风景美极了！The scenery here is stunning!
- 天气越来越冷了。The weather's getting colder and colder.
- 我们俩差不多高。We're about the same height.
- 我几乎每天都跑步。I run almost every day.
- 我一点儿也不累。I'm not tired at all.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Very, more & most speaking island has 8 everyday questions about very, more & most to prepare your own answers to.