Adjectives with 很 in Chinese

Overview

In Chinese, adjectives can function directly as predicates without requiring a linking verb like English "is." When an adjective serves as the predicate of a sentence, it is typically preceded by 很 (hěn), which grammatically does not necessarily mean "very" -- it often serves as a neutral filler to balance the sentence. Saying 他高 (Tā gāo) without 很 implies a comparison ("He is taller [than someone]"), while 他很高 (Tā hěn gāo) is a neutral statement ("He is tall").

At the CEFR A1 level, this is one of the most important patterns to master because it differs fundamentally from English. There is no word for "is" before adjectives in Chinese. Instead, the adjective itself acts as the verb of the sentence.

This pattern also means that Chinese adjectives behave like "stative verbs" -- they describe states and can be directly negated with 不 (bù) without any additional verb.

How It Works

Basic adjective predicate

Structure	Meaning	Note
Subject + 很 + Adjective	He is tall.	Neutral statement
Subject + Adjective (no 很)	He is tall(er).	Implies comparison
Subject + 不 + Adjective	He is not tall.	Negation
Subject + 真 + Adjective	He is really tall.	Emphatic
Subject + 太 + Adjective + 了	He is too tall.	Excess

Degree words before adjectives

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	Example
很	hěn	(neutral)/very	很好 (good/very good)
真	zhēn	really	真好 (really good)
太	tài	too	太好了 (too good / great!)
非常	fēicháng	extremely	非常好 (extremely good)
不	bù	not	不好 (not good)
不太	bú tài	not very	不太好 (not very good)

Examples in Context

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Note
这个很好。	Zhège hěn hǎo.	This is good.	neutral 很
今天很热。	Jīntiān hěn rè.	Today is hot.	weather description
中文不难。	Zhōngwén bù nán.	Chinese is not difficult.	negation
她很漂亮。	Tā hěn piàoliang.	She is beautiful.	neutral 很
这个太贵了！	Zhège tài guì le!	This is too expensive!	excess with 太...了
他真高。	Tā zhēn gāo.	He is really tall.	emphatic 真
我不太忙。	Wǒ bú tài máng.	I'm not very busy.	partial negation
北京很大。	Běijīng hěn dà.	Beijing is big.	neutral statement
这个菜不好吃。	Zhège cài bù hǎochī.	This dish doesn't taste good.	negation
天气非常好。	Tiānqì fēicháng hǎo.	The weather is extremely nice.	strong degree

Common Mistakes

Using 是 before adjectives

• Wrong: 他是高。(He is tall.)
• Right: 他很高。(He is tall.)
• Why: 是 links subjects to nouns, not adjectives. Adjectives serve as their own predicate.

Thinking 很 always means "very"

• Wrong: Translating 他很高 as "He is VERY tall"
• Right: 他很高 is a neutral statement meaning "He is tall"
• Why: In predicate position, 很 is often grammatically required and does not carry strong emphasis. For actual "very," use 非常 or stress 很 with emphasis.

Omitting 了 with 太

• Wrong: 太好 (too good)
• Right: 太好了！(Too good! / Great!)
• Why: The 太...了 pattern is a fixed construction; 了 is typically required at the end.

Practice Tips

• When describing anything, default to "Subject + 很 + Adjective." Treat 很 as the Chinese equivalent of English "is" before adjectives until the pattern becomes automatic.
• Practice degree words by describing the same thing at different intensities: 好, 很好, 真好, 非常好, 太好了.
• Try describing your surroundings using adjective predicates: the weather, the room, the food, people. This builds fluency with the most common adjective pattern.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Basic Sentence Structure -- understand basic word order before adding adjective predicates
• Next steps: Comparison with 比 -- learn how to compare things using adjectives