Adverbs Study Guide
Discover the role of adverbs in Chinese language. Learn their categories, formation, position in sentences, and comparison.
总的来说 (zǒng de lái shuō)
overall
The Chinese word '总的来说' means 'overall'. The phrase is often used as a starting point or in concluding an overall view, opinion, or understanding about something.
Example sentences with 总的来说 →恶心 (è xīn)
gross
The Chinese word '恶心' is used to describe something revolting, nasty or disgusting and is the direct translation of the English word 'gross'. It is a very common and informal term used in everyday conversations among the Chinese. Often, it is used to express personal feelings towards something unpleasant.
Example sentences with 恶心 →愿意 (yuàn yì)
readily
In Chinese, '愿意' is equal to 'readily' in English. It is often used in conversational contexts to express eagerness, willingness, or readiness towards something.
慢慢地 (màn màn de)
slowly
In Chinese, '慢慢地' is an adverb showing the manner of action which indicates something is being done at a slow speed or pace. It can be used in various contexts just like 'slowly' in English. It frequently follows the verb it modifies.
成功地 (chéng gōng de)
successfully
The adverb '成功地' in Chinese is used to describe the action or outcome of an action, referring to it being done with success or achieving a desired outcome. It is often used in sentences to describe actions that have been successfully completed, similar to its English equivalent 'successfully'.
Example sentences with 成功地 →故意 (gù yì)
deliberately
The Chinese word '故意' corresponds to 'deliberately' in English. It is used to refer to something done purposely or intentionally, often with a specific goal or outcome in mind. It is commonly used in both formal and informal contexts, across multiple subject matter.
教练 (jiàoliàn)
coach
In Chinese, '教练' is used to describe a person who teaches and trains players in a particular sport. It can also refer to a person who gives private instruction in singing, acting, etc. However, it doesn't refer to a large, comfortable bus for carrying passengers on long journeys, which can also be a meaning of 'coach' in English. The correct context-based use will depend on surrounding words and phrases.
整个 (Zhěng gè)
whole
In Chinese, '整个' (Zhěng gè) has a similar use as the English word 'whole'. It is used to indicate entirety or completeness of something, typically used together with a noun. Since Chinese is a context heavy language, it can be placed before or after the noun, based on context. For example: '整个冬天'(The whole winter) or '我们整个上午都在移动'(We were moving the whole morning).
新鲜 (xīn xiān)
fresh
The word '新鲜' translates to 'fresh' in English. It's widely used in daily Chinese conversation, especially when discussing food. It's important to note that freshness is universally respected in Chinese culture - therefore, the term is used quite frequently.
无所谓 (wú suǒ wèi)
whatever
The Chinese word '无所谓' (wúsuǒwèi) is commonly used in conversation similar to 'whatever'. It implies a certain level of indifference or lack of preference. For instance, in making decisions, if someone says '无所谓', they mean that they don't have a strong preference and are fine with any option.
无论何时 (wú lùn hé shí)
whenever
'无论何时' is a time phrase in Chinese that directly translates to 'whenever' in English. It is often used at the beginning of a clause to suggest a certain action or event can happen at any time, similar to how 'whenever' is used in English. It can also be used mid-sentence to convey the same meaning. It is frequently used in informal contexts.
无论如何 (wúlùnrúhé)
anyway
The Chinese word '无论如何' corresponds to 'anyway' in English, and can be used in a similar sense to proceed with a statement or discuss options or possibilities. Just like in English, '无论如何' can act as a transition word when changing subjects, or when one wants to get directly to the main point.
早 (zǎo)
early
The Chinese word '早' is used similarly to how 'early' is used in English. You can use it to describe something happening or someone who is doing something ahead of the usual or expected time. For example, waking up '早' means getting up early.
早上 (zǎoshang)
morning
The Chinese word '早上' is used to refer to the time period typically between sunrise to noon. It is often used in daily conversations and formal writings in the same context as how 'morning' is used in English.
明天 (míng tiān)
tomorrow
The Chinese word '明天' (míng tiān) represents tomorrow. It is used in the same way as in English, to refer to the day after the present day. It is a compound of two characters: 明 (míng) which means 'bright' and 天 (tiān) which means 'day'. They are combined to symbolically mean 'the bright day', or 'the day after the current day'. This word is widely used in Chinese conversations and writings to indicate future plans or events.
Example sentences with 明天 →昨天 (zuótiān)
yesterday
In Chinese, '昨天' is most commonly used to refer to the day before today, which is equivalent to the English word 'yesterday'. It is widely used in daily conversations as well as in literature. The term can be used at the beginning, middle, or end of sentences depending on the context.
Example sentences with 昨天 →是的 (shì de)
yeah
'是的' is the Chinese word for 'yeah'. It is commonly used in conversations to agree with or affirm something, similar to how 'yeah' is used in English. However, formal Mandarin often requires more explicit agreement or disagreement, so '是的' is more commonly used in casual or colloquial speech.
显然 (xiǎn rán)
clearly
In Chinese, '显然' is used to describe something that is evident or obvious. It is often used in statements where the speaker is pointing out a fact that should be easily seen or understood. Like similar terms in English, '显然' can be used either definitively, to indicate that there is no doubt about a situation, or tentatively, to suggest that evidence points towards certain conclusion, but it is not yet confirmed.
显著地 (xiǎnzhù de)
significantly
The Chinese word '显著地' is used to express that something is substantial or noticeable in an important way. It is the equivalent of the English word 'significantly'. It is often used in formal contexts, both written and spoken.
晚 (wǎn)
late
The Chinese word '晚' is used to express the concept of something being late or delayed. It can also denote the concept of being late at night. It is commonly used in various sentences, as in '你为什么总是那么晚?' which translates to 'Why are you always so late?'
更多 (gèng duō)
more
The Chinese term '更多' is mostly used to express the concept of 'more' in English. It's used when you want to indicate a greater or additional amount or degree of something.
更好 (gèng hǎo)
better
The Chinese word '更好' is used similarly to the English word 'better' and can be used in a comparative context. It can be placed before nouns or adjectives to indicate a superior quality, preference or improvement. This word also can be used broadly in social, professional and grammatical contexts.
更少 (gèng shǎo)
less
The Chinese word '更少' is often used to express 'less' or 'lesser' in English, often used to compare quantities, sizes, extents or amounts. It forms part of a comparative in sentences where you want to express a degree that is below average or below the general level.
Example sentences with 更少 →有些 (yǒu xiē)
somewhat
In Chinese, '有些' is the translation of 'somewhat' and is often used to describe a certain degree or extent of something. It can be used in various contexts to express that something is to some extent but not completely. It's positioned before adjectives or verbs to express the degree or extent.
Example sentences with 有些 →有效地 (yǒuxiào de)
effectively
In Chinese, '有效地' (yǒuxiào de) is a common translation for 'effectively'. It's an adverb and often used to modify verbs, showing that something has been done in an efficient or productive way. However, due to the complexity and context-dependency of languages, it might be interpreted or used slightly differently in some circumstances.
Example sentences with 有效地 →有时 (yǒu shí)
sometimes
The Chinese word '有时' is used to express non-constant circumstances or events, similar to English word 'sometimes'. It is used to represent occasions or situations that occur occasionally but not always.
本质上 (běn zhì shàng)
essentially
The Chinese word '本质上' translates to 'essentially' in English. It is used to indicate an intrinsic, fundamental nature or character of something or the basic or inherent features of something, or to emphasize the basic, fundamental, or intrinsic aspect of a point that someone is making.
Example sentences with 本质上 →极其 (jí qí)
greatly
The Chinese word '极其' is used to enhance the adjective or adverb that follows it, similar to how 'greatly' is used in English to emphasize the degree to which something is affected. It's commonly used in formal and written Chinese language.
Example sentences with 极其 →某处 (mǒu chù)
somewhere
The Chinese word '某处' has the same usage as 'somewhere' in English. It is often used to denote an indefinite or unspecified location. The word combines '某' meaning 'some' or 'a certain' and '处' meaning 'place' or 'location'.
Example sentences with 某处 →柜台 (guì tái)
counter
The Chinese word '柜台' is often used in the context of a service or display counter. This may refer to a counter at a store, bank, or any other place where people are served. It can represent both the physical counter itself and the service area as a whole.
Example sentences with 柜台 →