Adverb Formation | Adverbs | Parts Of Speech | Chinese

Adverbs in Mandarin Chinese typically modify verbs, adjectives, or whole sentences to show manner, degree, time, frequency, or attitude. This guide covers common ways to form and recognize adverbs so you can describe actions and qualities more precisely.

Adverbs from Adjectives

Many adverbs are formed by adding de (地) after an adjective or descriptive phrase, turning it into an adverbial modifier that governs how an action is carried out. This pattern is especially common when the adverb describes manner.

Examples

Fill in the Blank他回答问题很(slowly; use adjective+de).

He answered the questions slowly.

Hanzi Character(s)	Pinyin Word(s)	English Translation(s)
🍜 汤很浓，汁浓豆滑。	tāng hěn nóng, zhī nóng dòu huá.	The broth is rich, the sauce thick, and the tofu silky.
🔥 火锅汤滚，辣味浓厚。	huǒguō tāng gǔn, là wèi nónghòu.	The hot pot broth is boiling, with a strong spicy flavor.
🥬 菜色鲜，汤色明亮。	cài sè xiān, tāng sè míngliàng.	The ingredients are fresh, and the broth looks clear and bright.
🍯 酱汁甜，汤头香浓。	jiàng zhī tián, tāng tóu xiāng nóng.	The sauce is sweet, and the broth is fragrant and rich.

Adverbs of Degree

Adverbs of degree modify how much or to what extent an adjective or verb applies. Common degree adverbs include words like hěn (很), tǐng (挺), bù (不), and more precise adverbs like fēicháng (非常) or yīdiǎn (一点).

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
很	hěn	very
挺	tǐng	quite
非常	fēicháng	extremely
一点	yīdiǎn	a little

Adverbs of Manner

Adverbs of manner often come from adjectives plus de (地) or set adverbial phrases that describe how an action is done. They modify the verb directly and answer questions like "how?"

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
慢慢地	mànmàn de	slowly
认真地	rènzhēn de	seriously
快速地	kuàisù de	quickly
小心地	xiǎoxīn de	carefully

Adverbs of Time and Frequency

Adverbs of time and frequency tell when an action occurs or how often. Common adverbs include zài (再), yǐjīng (已经), jīngcháng (经常), and yǒushí (有时).

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
再	zài	again / more
已经	yǐjīng	already
经常	jīngcháng	often
有时	yǒushí	sometimes

Adverbs of Attitude and Degree

Some adverbs express the speaker's attitude or intensity and often appear at the beginning of a sentence or before an adjective or verb. Examples include gǎn (敢), shízài (实在), tài (太), and jǐnjǐn (仅仅).

Hanzi	Pinyin	English
敢	gǎn	dare to / actually
实在	shízài	really / truly
太	tài	too / very
仅仅	jǐnjǐn	only / merely

Summary

Adverbs in Mandarin can be adjectives plus de (地) for manner, or set adverbial words that indicate degree, time, frequency, or attitude. Learning common adverbs and paying attention to whether to use de (地) helps you modify actions clearly.