(hěn) - very, quite in Mandarin
hěnTraditional: 很
Translation
very, quite
Word origin
很 (hěn, 'very') is a phono-semantic compound built on 彳 (the 'step' radical, suggesting going) with 艮 (gěn) as the phonetic. The modern adverbial sense of degree developed from an earlier meaning of disobedience or stubbornness.
- Origin
- phono-semantic compound
- Root
- 彳 (step radical) + 艮 (gěn, phonetic)
Stroke order
很
Examples
菜。
This dish is very delicious.
，。
She is very smart and learns things quickly.
。
You look very beautiful today.
。
I am very happy to meet you.
。
This question is very important.
很 (hěn) functions as the standard degree adverb in Mandarin, equivalent to "very" or "quite" in English. One key grammatical point is that in Mandarin, adjectives used as predicates typically require an adverb like 很 before them - saying 她好 alone sounds incomplete or implies a comparison, while 她很好 is the natural neutral form meaning "she is fine/good."
The character combines the "heart/emotion" radical with a component suggesting stubbornness or going against, historically implying strong feeling. In modern usage it has neutralised to a simple intensifier, and native speakers often use it as a linking word without strong emphasis. When genuine emphasis is needed, 非常 (fēicháng) or 太 (tài) are preferred.
Appears in 5 words
Multi-character compounds in the corpus that contain 很.
Used in
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Figurative Directional Complements in Mandarin: 起来, 下去 and 出来 Beyond Up, Down and Out
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Mandarin Potential Complements: Can You Reach the Result? (吃得完, 听不懂, 买不起)
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