Adverbs Study Guide
Discover the role of adverbs in Chinese language. Learn their categories, formation, position in sentences, and comparison.
祈祷 (qí dǎo)
pray
The Chinese word '祈祷' is used to express the act of praying, usually to a deity or spirit. Similar to English, it can be used both in a religious context and in everyday conversations when hoping for a positive outcome. It can be followed by a specific object (e.g., for good health), or used alone to imply a general hope or wish.
Example sentences with 祈祷 →稍微 (shāo wēi)
slightly
The Chinese word '稍微' is used to indicate a small amount or degree of something. It is equivalent to the English word 'slightly'. It can be used to describe a slight change, a slight difference, or a slight amount of something. It is often used in the context of measurements, quantities, and degrees and can be used in both positive and negative contexts.
Example sentences with 稍微 →突然 (tū rán)
suddenly
The Chinese word '突然' is used to convey the same meaning as 'suddenly' in English. It is typically used to express the unexpectedness or abruptness of an event or action.
Example sentences with 突然 →立刻 (lì kè)
immediately
The Chinese word '立刻' is used to imply something that is instant or happening right away, similarly to how 'immediately' is used in English. It is often used in both formal and informal contexts.
Example sentences with 立刻 →简单地 (jiǎn dān de)
simply
The Chinese word for 'simply' is '简单地'. This word is often used in contexts to indicate a simple or easy manner of doing something. It can be used in various types of sentences, including declarative and interrogative sentences. Just like its English counterpart, '简单地' can be used to modify a verb and indicates how the action is performed.
简短地 (jiǎn duǎn de)
briefly
The Chinese word '简短地' is used to describe something done in a short or concise manner, much like 'briefly' in English. It can be used in the same contexts as in English, such as talking briefly about a topic or someone acting briefly.
Example sentences with 简短地 →类似地 (lèi sì dì)
similarly
The Chinese word '类似地' is used similarly to the English term where it refers to the equivalently, likewise, or in a like manner. It also tends to link related ideas or statements in conversation or text.
Example sentences with 类似地 →粗糙 (cū cāo)
rough
The Chinese word '粗糙' is often used to describe a rough texture or surface in physical contexts. However, it can also be used metaphorically to describe an unrefined or crude concept or behavior. It is also part of common phrases like '粗糙的皮肤' (rough skin) or '粗糙的想法' (rough idea). The antonym in Chinese would be '光滑' which means smooth.
紧 (jǐn)
tight
In Chinese, '紧' is used to describe something that is fixed or fastened securely in position. It can be in both physical context like 'a tight knot' or abstract context like 'a tight schedule'. Also, can imply the state of being barely sufficient, as in 'tight on money'.
紧密地 (jǐn mì dì)
closely
The Chinese word '紧密地' can be used in contexts that indicate a close physical, chronological, or logical connection. It could also mean doing something with great care or attention, similar to how 'closely' is used in English. For instance, '他紧密地看着那个文件' would translate to 'he is closely examining the document'.
经常 (jīng cháng)
often
The Chinese word '经常' is analogous to the English word 'often'. It is quite generally used in conversational and written Chinese, employed to express frequency of an action. There may be slight differences in usage compared to English, depending on context and sentence structure, but the meaning remains relatively consistent.
绝对 (jué duì)
absolutely
In Chinese, '绝对' is a commonly used word that means 'absolutely'. It is largely used to express agreement or to emphasize a statement. It could be placed before adjectives, adverbs or verbs to enhance its level. It's also used as an interjection to show strong affirmation.
老实说 (lǎo shí shuō)
honestly
The Chinese term '老实说' is an adverb which is often used in the context of conversations. Like 'honestly' in English, it is used to express sincerity and candidness, often before revealing a truth, opinion, or fact that might otherwise be difficult to share.
Example sentences with 老实说 →而且 (ér qiě)
moreover
The Chinese word '而且' is used similarly to the English word 'moreover'. It is used to introduce additional information that supports, emphasizes, or adds to the point you've made. '而且' often comes in the middle of a sentence, connecting two clauses.
肯定 (kěn dìng)
definitely
The Chinese word '肯定' is used to express certainty or affirmation about something. It is often used in a similar context as the English word 'definitely', such as confirming plans or answering a question positively.
Example sentences with 肯定 →自从 (zì cóng)
since
In Chinese, '自从' is a compound conjunction used to indicate the starting point of a time period. It corresponds to 'since' in English. It is often used in sentences to precede the clause that contains the time point when an action started or a situation began. Also, it is always used with '以后' which marks the period after the time point.
自动地 (zì dòng de)
automatically
The Chinese word '自动地' represents an action that is done by a person, machine, or system on its own without anyone making it happen, equivalent to automatically in English. The word is usually used as an adverb in sentences, indicating a spontaneous or programmed series of actions or procedures.
Example sentences with 自动地 →自然地 (zì rán de)
naturally
The Chinese word '自然地' can be used in similar contexts as the English word 'naturally'. It expresses occurrence by nature or instinct not by deliberate means. It also indicates something happening as a matter of course. When used in conversation, it generally follows the subject for which it describes the character or characteristic.
Example sentences with 自然地 →虽然 (suī rán)
though
The Chinese word '虽然' is used similarly to 'though' in English. It is often used to convey the meaning of 'although' or 'despite'. It is typically used at the beginning of a sentence or clause to contrast two statements or show cause and effect.
表达 (biǎo dá)
express
In Chinese, '表达' is used to convey or make known one's thoughts, feelings, or ideas. It can be used in various context such as expressing an opinion ('表达观点'), expressing feelings ('表达感情') or expressing a principle ('表达原则').
Example sentences with 表达 →认真 (rèn zhēn)
seriously
The Chinese word '认真' is used to describe serious, diligent, or earnest actions or attitudes. It can be used in a variety of contexts, much like its English equivalent 'seriously.' For instance, it can describe a person who takes their work seriously, an earnest request, or a diligent study habit.
Example sentences with 认真 →诚实 (chéng shí)
honest
The Chinese word '诚实' is used to describe someone who always tells the truth and does not cheat or steal. It's a character trait that is highly valued in Chinese culture. It can also be used to describe things that are simple, direct, and straightforward.
Example sentences with 诚实 →请 (qǐng)
please
In Chinese, '请' is used to express politeness or request, similar to 'please' in English. It can be placed at the beginning of a sentence to make it sound more courteous. It is also commonly used in asking for something or offering something in a polite way.
超级 (chāo jí)
super
In Chinese, super is translated as '超级' (chāojí). It is often used as an adjective to mean 'above average' or 'outstanding' in English. It can be used before nouns, like '超级市场' for 'supermarket', '超级英雄' for 'superhero', etc. Also it often appears in advertisements, movie names or books to indicate this is a superior product or work.
Example sentences with 超级 →足够 (zú gòu)
enough
The Chinese word '足够' is used in many of the same contexts as the English word 'enough'. It can be used to express sufficiency in terms of quantity or quality. For example, you can say '我有足够的食物' to mean 'I have enough food.'
身体上 (shēn tǐ shàng)
physically
The Chinese phrase '身体上' is a direct translation of 'physically', it refers to anything relating to the body as opposed to the mind. For instance, if you are physically tired, it means your body, not your mind, is tired.
Example sentences with 身体上 →较低 (jiào dī)
lower
The Chinese word '较低' is used similarly to the English term 'lower'. It can be used to refer to a position, level, or value that is lesser than another, or it can describe the action of reduction or the act of bringing something down. Just like in English, it is context-dependent and can be used in various grammatical constructions.
Example sentences with 较低 →还 (hái)
yet
The Chinese word '还' is used similarly to the English word 'yet' when referring to something that is not completed or has not happened. However, the context can vary, and sometimes it can also mean 'to return' or 'also', depending on the situations.
Example sentences with 还 →这个 (zhè ge)
this
The Chinese word '这个' is the equivalent of the English word 'this'. It is used to denote something that is close to the speaker and the listener. It could indicate an idea, a person, an object or even a place that is within the immediate context or situation.
这样 (zhèyàng)
such
The Chinese word '这样' translated as 'such' in English, is used to refer to the degree or extent of something. It is commonly used in sentences like 'I didn't think it would be such a big deal' which would translate to '我没想到会是这样的大事'.