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.
他很高兴。 (tā hěn gāoxìng) = He is happy.
中文很难。 (zhōngwén hěn nán) = Chinese is difficult.
老板很生气。 (lǎobǎn hěn shēngqì) = The boss is angry.
我们很累。 (wǒmen hěn lèi) = We’re tired.
我哥哥也很高。 (wǒ gēge yě hěn gāo) = My older brother is also tall.
你家也很远吗？ (nǐ jiā yě hěn yuǎn ma) = Is your house also far away?
爸爸很忙，妈妈也很忙。 (bàba hěn máng, māma yě hěn máng) = Dad is busy, and mom is also busy.
他和他弟弟都很帅。 (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) –> is wrong
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。(ā fēicháng gāo) = He is very tall.
Post time: Apr-29-2020