An adverb is a word that modifies verbs, adjectives, or entire clauses, and can express time, frequency, degree, scope, or manner. Adverbs usually do not function as the subject or object on their own, and they provide supplementary information in a sentence. In modern Chinese, adverbs are often placed before the modified component.

Temporal adverbs express the time or stage of an action, and are commonly used to answer "when". Time adverbs can modify a verb or modify an entire sentence. In spoken and written language, common time adverbs include "now", "already", and "just now".

Adverbs of frequency express how often an action occurs or its regularity, commonly used to answer "how often". They usually appear before the verb, and can also appear at the beginning of a sentence to introduce the whole sentence. Common adverbs of frequency include "often", "always", "sometimes", and "occasionally".

Adverbs of degree express the strength, extent, or amount of a property, state, or action, and modify adjectives, verbs, or other adverbs. They are generally placed before the modified element in a sentence. Common degree adverbs include "very", "extremely", "too", "quite", and "a bit".

Scope adverbs indicate the range involved by an action or situation, commonly used to delimit the scope of the subject, object, or predicate. Scope adverbs can be used with classifiers or nouns, or modify the entire predicate. Common scope adverbs include "all", "the whole", "only", and "only then".

Adverbs of manner express how an action is carried out or its state, and are commonly used to modify verbs. Some are formed by adding "地" to an adjective, indicating "how" something is done. The "地" construction is a common adverbial marker in modern Chinese.

Negation adverbs are used to negate actions, states, or judgments, and are common functional words in grammar. In modern Chinese, "not" and "no" express present or habitual negation; "没" or "没有" negate past actions or results. Negation adverbs are generally placed before the verb or adjective.

Adverbs are generally placed before the verb or adjective they modify, and can also appear in a "subject + adverb + predicate" structure. When multiple adverbs are used together, they often follow the order: Time — Scope — Frequency — Degree — Manner — Verb. Sentence-initial adverbs usually carry a scope for the entire sentence or a time cue.

The "de" character turns adjectives or phrases into adverbial components that modify the following verb. The "de" is typically preceded by an adjective, a numeral phrase, or an adjective phrase. The "de" construction emphasizes "how to do something", corresponding to adverb usage in English.

Modern Chinese adverbs include some inborn words and others derived via affixes. Common derivational patterns include "adjective + de", "noun + 化 + de", and "adjective + 性 + de". These structures are mostly used in written or formal expression, indicating manner or property.