Adjectives are words used to describe the properties or states of nouns, and can indicate colors, sizes, personalities, feelings, and more. In Chinese, adjectives typically do not indicate tense. Adjectives can stand alone as predicates, or appear before or after 的 to modify a noun.

Common Chinese adjectives include descriptions of color, size, quality (good/bad), speed (fast/slow), temperature (hot/cold), height/low, and length. These words are among the most frequently used vocabulary in everyday description. Mastering these words covers most basic descriptions.

The noun + 很 + adjective pattern is the most common descriptive structure, describing general properties rather than strong contrasts. '很' often appears in spoken Chinese, serving as a connector and not necessarily meaning 'very.' You can also use '非常' (very) or '有点儿' (a bit) to strengthen or weaken the degree.

An adjective + 的 can be placed before a noun to form 'Adjective+的+Noun', used to modify the noun. The 的 makes the description more like an attributive, roughly equivalent to placing the adjective before the noun in English. This structure is commonly used to distinguish or refer to specific things.

Adjectives can function as predicates, indicating the subject's state, equivalent to 'be + adjective.' In Chinese spoken language, people often add '很' to connect, and degree adverbs can strengthen or weaken. This usage is suitable for describing feelings, weather, and emotions.

'Very', 'extremely', and 'especially' are used to strengthen adjectives; 'a bit' is used to soften or indicate slight degree. The colloquial expression 'Quite…' is also used and weaker than 'Very'. 'Too…' indicates a very high degree and is often emotionally charged.

Common categories include: color, size, personality, feeling, state, and temperature. Different categories of adjectives fit describing different objects and scenarios. Choosing the appropriate category can make descriptions more precise.

Not + adjective negates a property or state, and is usually used for present or habitual descriptions. Not + adjective is used in some cases, such as 'not available' or 'not useful'; most descriptive adjectives are negated with '不'. When negating, degree adverbs can be retained.

'比' is used to compare a property of two things, in the form 'A 比 B + adjective'. You can add '更' before the adjective to indicate a higher degree. This structure is commonly used for comparable attributes such as size, speed, height.

Some adjectives often collocate with specific nouns or verbs, forming fixed or common expressions. When used in succession, pay attention to word order and the use of '的' to avoid repetition. 'Adjective + 得' can introduce results or degree, usually studied as a separate structure.