Meaning
很 is one of the most fundamental adverbs in Mandarin, used to intensify adjectives and some psychological verbs. It appears in nearly every beginner conversation as the standard way to say something is 'very' a certain quality. In simple declarative sentences with adjectives, 很 often has a weakened meaning and simply links the subject to the adjective without strong emphasis.
Usage
Native speakers use 很 constantly, but in neutral statements like '我很好' (I'm fine), it carries little actual intensifying force and is simply grammatically required. To genuinely emphasize 'very', speakers stress 很 with tone or add 非常 or 特别 instead. 很 typically comes directly before the adjective it modifies and cannot modify nouns directly.
Examples
- 01今天天气很好。.The weather is very nice today.
- 02我很喜欢学习中文。.I very much like studying Chinese.
Common collocations
- 很好very good
- 很多very many, a lot
- 很少very few, seldom
- 很累very tired
Antonyms
Origin
很 originally meant 'to disobey' or 'fierce' in Classical Chinese. Its modern usage as an intensifying adverb developed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, gradually becoming the standard adverb of degree.