Descriptive Adjectives
Descriptive adjectives in Mandarin Chinese paint vivid pictures of people, places, and things by highlighting qualities like color, size, shape, and texture. They help listeners imagine exactly what you mean.
Formation
Adjectives are often verbs that describe a property, and they sometimes need the particle de 的 to attach them to a noun. Whether you use de depends on the adjective and the nuance you want.
Using Adjectives as Modifiers
When an adjective directly modifies a noun and is an adjectival verb, you usually add de 的 to form a clear modifier phrase. This makes the description more noun-like and allows stacking multiple modifiers.
| Hanzi Phrase | Pinyin Phrase | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ☕️ 桌上的咖啡很香。 | Zhuō shàng de kāfēi hěn xiāng. | The coffee on the table smells fragrant. |
| 🥐 旁边的面包颜色金黄。 | Pángbiān de miànbāo yánsè jīn huáng. | The bread beside it is golden in color. |
| 🌸 窗台上的花开得很鲜艳。 | Chuāngtái shàng de huā kāi de hěn xiānyàn. | The flowers on the windowsill bloom brightly. |
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Using Adjectives Predicatively
When an adjective describes the subject and appears after the noun as part of the sentence's comment, you typically do not use de 的. The adjective functions as a predicate and can be intensified with adverbs.
| Hanzi Phrase | Pinyin Phrase | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ☕️ 这杯咖啡很浓。 | Zhè bēi kāfēi hěn nóng. | This cup of coffee is very strong. |
| 🥐 面包很松软。 | Miànbāo hěn sōngruǎn. | The bread is very soft. |
| 🌸 花很鲜艳。 | Huā hěn xiānyàn. | The flowers are very bright. |
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Common Adjectives
Familiar adjectives that describe color, size, shape, and quality are used repeatedly in everyday speech to give quick and clear descriptions. Learning a handful of common adjectives accelerates expressive ability.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 大 | dà | big |
| 小 | xiǎo | small |
| 红色 | hóngsè | red |
| 漂亮 | piàoliang | beautiful |
| 旧 | jiù | old (thing) |
| 新 | xīn | new |
| 长 | cháng | long |
| 短 | duǎn | short |
| 高 | gāo | tall / high |
| 低 | dī | low |
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 新鲜 | xīnxiān | fresh |
| 热 | rè | hot |
| 冷 | lěng | cold |
| 甜 | tián | sweet |
| 苦 | kǔ | bitter |
| 香 | xiāng | fragrant |
| 软 | ruǎn | soft |
| 硬 | yìng | hard |
| 漂亮 | piàoliang | beautiful |
| 新 | xīn | new |
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Adjective Intensifiers
Adjectives can be modified by adverbs like hěn 很 to indicate degree, or by stronger adverbs such as fēicháng 非常 and tài 太. These intensifiers shape how forcefully the quality is expressed.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 很 | hěn | very (common neutral intensifier) |
| 非常 | fēicháng | extremely |
| 太 | tài | too; very |
| 有点儿 | yǒudiǎnr | a bit; somewhat |
| 特别 | tèbié | especially |
| Hanzi Phrase | Pinyin Phrase | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ☕️ 咖啡非常香。 | Kāfēi fēicháng xiāng. | The coffee is extremely fragrant. |
| 🥐 面包很挺松软的。 | Miànbāo hěn tǐng sōngruǎn de. | The bread is quite soft. |
| 🌸 花特别鲜艳。 | Huā tèbié xiānyàn. | The flowers are especially bright. |
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Adjective Questions
To ask about an adjective or quality, you can use question structures that target the descriptive word or ask for a comparison. Phrases like duōjiǔ 多久 and duōdà 多大 help elicit specific descriptive information.
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Summary
Descriptive adjectives give color, size, and other qualities that make nouns vivid. Use de 的 when turning adjectives into modifiers, and use adverbs like hěn 很 to tune intensity. Practicing common adjectives and intensifiers makes descriptions natural.
Last updated: Sun Sep 14, 2025