Chinese Grammar Advanced - Expressing Degree

Introduction

Advanced Mandarin grammar is where nuance, register, and rhetorical control start to matter as much as correctness. This chapter focuses on expressing degree, collecting the structures Chinese speakers rely on when they need to handle that idea naturally.

From Adj. + 得不得了 (extreme degree) to 很是 + Adj. (emphatic literary), you'll work through forms that sharpen emphasis, manage register, and help sophisticated ideas land with the right tone in Chinese.

Themes

All Chinese Grammar Advanced in This Chapter (7)

1. Adj. + 得不得了 (extreme degree) de bùdéliǎo Used after an adjective to express an extreme or overwhelming degree of that quality. The complement 得不得了 intensifies the adjective far b...
2. Adj. + 得很 (quite/very) de hěn Placed after an adjective to emphasize the degree, similar to saying 'quite' or 'very much so' in English. It adds emphasis that goes bey...
3. 有的是 (plenty of) yǒudeshì Expresses that something exists in great abundance, equivalent to 'there's plenty of' in English. It can be placed before the noun it mod...
4. 进一步 (further) jìnyībù Indicates taking something one step further or advancing to a deeper level. It is used before a verb to express progression, deepening, o...
5. 几乎 (nearly/almost) jīhū Expresses that something is very close to a certain state or action, meaning 'nearly' or 'almost.' When used with 都, it emphasizes that t...
6. Adj. + 得 + Complement (advanced degree) de Uses degree complements after 得 to express how intensely a quality or state is experienced. Common complements include 很, 不得了, 要命, and 不行...
7. 很是 + Adj. (emphatic literary) hěnshì A more formal and literary way to emphasize the degree of an adjective or psychological verb, equivalent to 'quite' or 'very much' in Eng...