很Very (hěn) currently has the following grammatical points

 HSK1

In English, nouns can be "linked" to adjectives and other nouns with the verb "to be." In Chinese, nouns are linked to other nouns in one way, but linked to adjectives in a completely different way. Nouns are linked to other nouns with 是 (shì). Nouns are linked to adjectives with 很 (hěn).

Structure

Noun + 很 + Adj.

The noun in this structure is the subject of the sentence. Sometimes the 很 (hěn) in this structure is translated as "very," but often it is just a way to link a noun to an adjective.

Examples

In the following examples, 很 (hěn) is just a link (you could think of it as a substitute for the verb "to be"), and the sentences could be translated as "(Noun) is (adjective)."

我 很 好。Wǒ hěn hǎo.I'm good.

你 很 漂亮。Nǐ hěn piàoliang.You are pretty.

他 很 高興。Tā hěn gāoxìng.He is happy.

中文 很 難。Zhōngwén hěn nán.Chinese is difficult.

老闆 很 生氣。Lǎobǎn hěn shēngqì.The boss is angry.

我們 很 累。Wǒmen hěn lèi.We're tired.

我 哥哥 也 很 高。Wǒ gēge yě hěn gāo.My older brother is also tall.

你 家 也 很 遠 嗎？Nǐ jiā yě hěn yuǎn ma?Is your house also far away?

爸爸 很 忙，媽媽 也 很 忙。Bàba hěn máng, māma yě hěn máng.Dad is busy, and mom is also busy.

他 和 他 弟弟 都 很 帥。Tā hé tā dìdi dōu hěn shuài.He and his younger brother are both handsome.

Remember that 是 (shì) is not used to link adjectives to nouns. This is a classic mistake that almost everyone makes when learning Chinese. Make sure you use 很 (hěn) and not 是 (shì) to link adjectives to nouns, as shown below:

他 是 高。Tā shì gāo.

他 很 高。Tā hěn gāo.He is tall.

What 很 (hěn) Really Means

If you're like most learners, when you first learn this pattern, you're thinking, "How can 很 (hěn) mean "very" one minute, but then nothing but a "link" the next? How do I know if anything means anything in this language?" That's a reasonable response. But in the case of these "Noun + Adj." sentences, you just have to think of this usage of 很 (hěn) as an exception. It's just part of the structure.

If you actually want to add the meaning of "very" into the sentence, you could use another adverb instead of 很 (hěn). One good choice is 非常 (fēicháng).

他 非常 高 。Tā fēicháng gāo.He is very tall.

HSK3

Special verbs with "hen"

Using 很 (hěn) to intensify verbs that express thoughts or feeling is really easy.

ContentsStructure

Subj. + 很 + [Certain Verbs]

Certain "psychological verbs" related to feelings or emotional sates can be modified with 很 (hěn) to increase their intensity. This is similar to using "really" or "very much" in English. Remember that this only applies to psychological verbs, such as:

想 (xiǎng) to think; to want; to miss

喜歡 (xǐhuan) to like

小心 (xiǎoxīn) to be careful

怕 (pà) to fear; to be afraid of

了解 (liǎojiě) to know a lot about

討厭 (tǎoyàn) to hate

擔心 (dānxīn) to worry about

希望 (xīwàng) to hope

Examples

我 很 想 你。Wǒ hěn xiǎng nǐ.I really miss you.

他 很 喜歡 你。Tā hěn xǐhuan nǐ.He really likes you.

你應該很 小心 。Nǐ yīnggāi hěn xiǎoxīn.You should be very careful.

我 很 怕 晚上 一個人 在家。Wǒ hěn pà wǎnshang yīgèrén zài jiā.I fear staying home alone at night.

你 應該 很 了解 自己 的 孩子。Nǐ yīnggāi hěn liǎojiě zìjǐ de háizi.You should know a lot about your child.

外國 人 很 討厭 中國 的 公共 廁所。Wàiguó rén hěn tǎoyàn Zhōngguó de gōnggòng cèsuǒ.Foreigners really hate public toilets in China.

你 兩天 沒 回家，媽媽 很 擔心 你。Nǐ liǎng tiān méi huíjiā, māma hěn dānxīn nǐ.You haven't gone home in two days. Mom is really worried about you.

父母 都 很 希望 我 能 上 一 個 好 大學。Fùmǔ dōu hěn xīwàng wǒ néng shàng yī gè hǎo dàxué.Both of my parents really hope that I can go to a good college.

HSK5

Adjectival complement "de hen"

The complement 得很 (dehěn) is used after adjectives to add intensity. It is similar to adding 很 before the adjective，the main difference being that adjective + 得很 is more informal, and adds more emphasis than just 很 + adjective.

Structure

Adj.+ 得很

Examples

你 覺得 不 好吃？我 覺得 好吃 得很。Nǐ juédé bù hào chī? Wǒ juédé hào chī dé hěn.You don't think it tastes good? I think it's quite good.

這 個 地方 漂亮 得 很，非常 推薦 你 去。

我 好 得 很，你 不用 為 我 擔心。

我 現在 時間 多 得 很，你 去 哪兒 我 都 可以 陪 你 去。

不 用 擔心，這次 考試 簡單 得很。Bùyòng dānxīn, zhè cì kǎoshì jiǎndān dé hěn.Don't worry. This test is very simple.

離 我 遠 點兒 ！我 現在 煩 得很！Lí wǒ yuǎn diǎn er! Wǒ xiànzài fán dé hěn!Stay away from me! I'm very upset now!

你 覺得 他 不 高興？我看 他 今天 心情 好 得很！Nǐ juédé tā bù gāoxìng? Wǒ kàn tā jīntiān xīnqíng hǎo dé hěn!You think he's unhappy? From what I see, he's in good mood today!

我 最近 忙 得很，每天 都 要 加班。Wǒ zuìjìn máng dé hěn, měitiān dōu yào jiābān.I've been quite busy lately. I need to work late every day.

高峰期 路上 堵 得很，我 建議 你 上班 坐 地鐵。Gāofēng qī lùshàng dǔ dé hěn, wǒ jiànyì nǐ shàngbān zuò dìtiě.The traffic is really heavy in rush hours. I suggest you take the metro to work.

他 這 個 人 自私 得 很，從來 不 為 別人 考慮。Tā zhè gè rén zìsī dé hěn, cónglái bù wèi biérén kǎolǜ.He's really selfish. He never thinks about other people.

Advanced degree complementsThe expression of "degree" following a verb is quite broad. A vast array of adjectives can appear in the degree complement following verbs, indicating degree and quality. When it comes to adjectives, however, expression of degree is often much more limited. The following are some of the more common degree complements which follow adjectives.Common Patterns

Adj. + 得 + 很

Adj. + 得 + 不得了

Adj. + 得 + 要命

Adj. + 得 + 不行

Examples

這個 孩子 自私 得很 。Zhège hái zǐ zìsī dé hěn.This child is super selfish.

我 老婆 的 工作 輕鬆 得很 。Wǒ lǎopó de gōngzuò qīngsōng dé hěn.My wife's job is extremely easy and relaxed.

我 爸爸 固執 得 不得了 。Wǒ bàba gùzhí dé bùdéliǎo.My father is awfully stubborn.

贏 了 比賽 以後 ，他 驕傲 得 不得了 。Yíngle bǐsài yǐhòu, tā jiāo'ào dé bùdéliǎoHe was terribly proud after he won the competition.

聽說 兒子 又 跟 同學 打架 了 ，爸爸 氣 得 不得了 。Tīng shuō érzi yòu gēn tóngxué dǎjià le, bàba qì dé bùdéliǎo.Having heard his son was fighting with his classmate again, the father was incensed.

我 兒子 淘氣 得 要命 。Wǒ érzi táoqì dé yàomìng.My son is incredibly naughty.

今天 路上 堵 得 要命 ！Jīntiān lùshàng dǔ dé yàomìng!The traffic is terrible!

地鐵 擠 得 要命 ！Dìtiě jǐ dé yàomìng!The metro is so crowded!

我 的 牙 痛 得 不 行 ！Wǒ de yá tòng dé bùxíng!My teeth hurt so badly!

外面 熱 得 不 行 。Wàimiàn rè dé bùxíng.It's awfully hot outside.

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