Degree Adverbs: 多、多么、更、十分、特别、挺、有点儿
These sit before an adjective or feeling-verb: Subject + Degree Adverb + Adjective.
多
duō
many; much
多么
duō me
how (wonderful etc)
更
gèng
to change or replace
十分
shí fēn
very
特别
tè bié
unusual; special
挺
tǐng
straight
有点儿
yǒu diǎnr
slightly
- 更 (gèng) = "even more" — implies a comparison with something already mentioned. 这个更好 = this one is even better (than the other one).
- 十分 (shí fēn) = "extremely" — a strong, plain intensifier, similar to 非常.
- 特别 (tè bié) = "especially/particularly" — singles one thing out among others.
- 挺 (tǐng) = "quite/pretty" — casual, usually paired with a sentence-final 的: 挺好的.
Common mistake: forgetting the 的 after 挺 — 挺好 alone sounds incomplete in speech; 挺好的 is the natural pattern.
Worked examples
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| 他挺忙的。 | Tā tǐng máng de. | He's quite busy. | 挺 + Adjective + 的 is the casual "quite" pattern. |
| 我今天有点儿累。 | Wǒ jīn tiān yǒu diǎnr lèi. | I'm a bit tired today. | 有点儿 signals a mild, usually undesirable degree — different tone from 很/十分. |
| 这个更好，我们买这个吧。 | Zhè ge gèng hǎo, wǒ men mǎi zhè ge ba. | This one is even better — let's buy this one. | 更 means "even more," implying comparison with another option already in mind. |
| 他十分喜欢这本书。 | Tā shí fēn xǐ huan zhè běn shū. | He likes this book extremely much. | 十分 (extremely) can intensify feeling-verbs like 喜欢, not just adjectives. |
| 妈妈特别喜欢这件衣服。 | Mā ma tè bié xǐ huan zhè jiàn yī fu. | Mom especially likes this piece of clothing. | 特别 singles out one favorite thing among others — stronger and more personal than 很. |
| 他多大？ | Tā duō dà? | How old is he? | 多 + Adjective forms a QUESTION about degree — common with 大 (age), 高 (height). |
| 这个苹果多么大啊！ | Zhè ge píng guǒ duō me dà a! | How big this apple is! | 多么 + Adjective + 啊 forms an EXCLAMATION, not a question — different register from 多. |
What you need first
Every topic in GraphChinese names its own prerequisites, and these are the grammar points this one is built on. If a sentence here will not parse, one of them is why.
The same pattern at other levels
- Degree Adverbs — HSK 1
- Degree Adverbs — HSK 3
- Degree adverbs — HSK 4
- Degree Adverbs — HSK 5
Degree Adverbs is one topic of 829. GraphChinese teaches them in prerequisite order, so this pattern reaches you on the day everything it rests on is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
Start at your true level