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Level Independent Chinese · HSK 3

敢, 需要, 值得, 尽量, 恐怕 and the Certainty Scale

B1 fills in the gaps between "must" and "can": daring to, needing to, being worth doing. It also gives you a full scale for how sure you are, which is essential for discussing anything with nuance.

敢, 需要, 不必

敢 (gǎn) + verb: dare to. 需要 (xūyào) + noun or verb: need. 有必要 / 没必要: it's necessary / pointless. 不必 (búbì) and 不用 mean "no need to"; 不要 means "don't".

  • 我不敢一个人去。

    Wǒ bù gǎn yí ge rén qù.

    I don't dare go on my own.

  • 我们需要你的帮助。

    Wǒmen xūyào nǐ de bāngzhù.

    We need your help.

  • 没必要买新的。

    Méi bìyào mǎi xīn de.

    There's no need to buy a new one.

  • 你不必担心。

    Nǐ búbì dānxīn.

    You needn't worry.

值得, 值, 尽量, 千万

值得 (zhíde) + verb: worth doing. 值 + amount: worth (money). 值钱: valuable. 尽量 (jǐnliàng) + verb: as much as possible, do your best to. 千万 (qiānwàn) + 要 / 别: be absolutely sure to / whatever you do, don't.

  • 这本书很值得一看。

    Zhè běn shū hěn zhíde yí kàn.

    This book is well worth reading.

  • 这块表值多少钱？

    Zhè kuài biǎo zhí duōshao qián?

    How much is this watch worth?

  • 我尽量早点儿来。

    Wǒ jǐnliàng zǎo diǎnr lái.

    I'll try to come as early as I can.

  • 你千万别告诉他！

    Nǐ qiānwàn bié gàosu tā!

    Whatever you do, don't tell him!

The certainty scale

From certain to impossible. 恐怕 (kǒngpà) is "I'm afraid (that)": a likely outcome you don't welcome. 估计 is "I reckon".

WordHow sure
必然inevitably (formal)
一定 / 肯定definitely
大概 / 估计 / 恐怕probably
可能 / 也许maybe
不一定not necessarily
不可能impossible

  • 他肯定知道。

    Tā kěndìng zhīdao.

    He definitely knows.

  • 恐怕他今天来不了了。

    Kǒngpà tā jīntiān lái bu liǎo le.

    I'm afraid he won't be able to come today.

往往, 常常, 通常, 总是

常常 is "often". 通常 (tōngcháng) is "usually, as a rule". 总是 is "always". 往往 (wǎngwǎng) is "tends to, under these conditions": it generalises from experience and isn't used for plans or one person's future.

  • 周末超市里往往人很多。

    Zhōumò chāoshì li wǎngwǎng rén hěn duō.

    Supermarkets tend to be crowded at weekends.

  • 我通常七点起床。

    Wǒ tōngcháng qī diǎn qǐ chuáng.

    I usually get up at seven.

Common mistakes

  • ✗这个电影值得。

    ✓这个电影值得看。

    Zhège diànyǐng zhíde kàn.

    值得 needs a verb: worth doing what? (很值得 alone works only as a reply.)

  • ✗以后我往往去健身房。

    ✓以后我会常常去健身房。

    Yǐhòu wǒ huì chángcháng qù jiànshēnfáng.

    往往 describes tendencies observed so far, not plans for the future.

  • ✗你千万要不说。

    ✓你千万不要说。

    Nǐ qiānwàn bú yào shuō.

    千万 is followed directly by 要 or by 不要 / 别.

Questions learners ask

Does 恐怕 mean I'm scared?

Not here. 恐怕 softens unwelcome news: "I'm afraid that ...". For being scared, use 怕 or 害怕.

What's the difference between 一定 and 肯定?

Very close. 肯定 sounds a bit more like a confident judgement, 一定 can also be a demand (你一定要来). Both work for "definitely".

Practice this in lessons

The Independent Chinese lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

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