Chinese adjectives

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Chinese adjectives (simplified Chinese: 形容词; traditional Chinese: 形容詞; pinyin: xíngróngcí) differ from those in English in that they can be used as verbs (for example 天黑了 tiān hēi le "The sky has become dark") and thus linguists sometimes prefer to use the terms static or stative verb to describe them. In most dictionaries 形容词 (often abbreviated 形) is used to identify this part of speech.

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[edit] Before nouns

When describing a noun with an adjective, the associative particle 的 de is inserted between the adjective and the noun. For example, 高兴的孩子 gāo xìng de hái zi "happy child". 的 is sometimes omitted to reduce repetitiveness (e.g. two or more 的's within the same sentence); it is also omitted in some established adjective-noun pairs to improve sentence flow (e.g. the TV show 快乐中国). In general, there are no strict rules when 的 can be omitted; however, some adjectives and adjective-noun pairs are more often seen without the associative particle than others.

Some examples:

  • 坏(huài) 人(rén) — "bad person"
  • 奇(qí) 怪(guài) 的(de) 人(rén) — "strange person"
  • 可(kě) 爱(ài) 的(de) 熊(xióng) 猫(māo) — "cute panda"

[edit] After nouns

[edit] First pattern

Unlike English, subjects and predicate adjectives in a Chinese sentence are not linked by copula but by degree adverbs, such as 很 hěn "very," 好 hǎo "highly," 真 zhēn "really," and 非常 fēicháng "extraordinarily, extremely." For example, the following sentences express increasing degrees of "beauty":

  • 她(tā) 很(hěn) 漂(piào) 亮(liang)。
    She is beautiful.
  • 她(tā) 好(hǎo) 漂(piào) 亮(liang)。
    She is very beautiful.
  • 她(tā) 真(zhēn) 漂(piào) 亮(liang)。
    She is really beautiful.
  • 她(tā) 非(fēi) 常(cháng) 漂(piào) 亮(liang)。
    She is extraordinarily beautiful.

A complementary adverb (e.g. 极了 jí le) can also specify the degree of an adjective:

  • 她(tā) 漂(piào) 亮(liang) 极(jí) 了(le)。
    She is exceedingly beautiful.

It should be noted that 很 often functions as a generic linking adverb and does not carry the meaning of "very". For example, 她很漂亮 is often understood and translated as "She is beautiful".

[edit] Second pattern

The linking verb 是 shì (to be) is used with adjectives in the pattern -- Noun + 是 + Adj + 的 -- to state or emphasize a fact or a perceived fact. For example:

  • 他(tā) 是(shì) 男(nán) 的(de)。
    He is male.
  • 那(nà) 辆(liàng) 车(chē) 是(shì) 新(xīn) 的(de)。
    That car is new.
  • 那(nà) 只(zhī) 猫(māo) 是(shì) 黑(hēi) 的(de)。
    That cat is black.

[edit] Parts of speech