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Level Advanced Chinese · HSK 5–6

Degree and Emphasis: 极其, 得不得了, 简直, 明明, 可, 倒是 and 令人

很 and 非常 get you through B1. At C1 you need words with more colour: some written (极其), some vivid and spoken (得要命), some that carry an attitude rather than a degree (简直, 明明, 可). Each has a fixed position, which is where most mistakes happen.

Degree words and their positions

Some degree words go before the adjective: 极其 (jíqí, extremely; written), 十分 (shífēn), 格外 (géwài, especially). Others come after it: 极了 (jí le), 得很 (de hěn), 得不得了 (de bùdéliǎo), 得要命 (de yàomìng, to death), 死了 (sǐ le, colloquial). Adjectives with a degree word after them don't take 很 as well.

Before the adjectiveAfter the adjectiveRegister
极其重要written
十分满意neutral to formal
好极了neutral
高兴得不得了spoken
累得要命 / 累死了very colloquial

  • 这个决定极其重要。

    Zhège juédìng jíqí zhòngyào.

    This decision is extremely important.

  • 听到这个好消息，她高兴得不得了。

    Tīngdào zhège hǎo xiāoxi, tā gāoxìng de bùdéliǎo.

    When she heard the good news she was absolutely delighted.

简直 and 明明

简直 (jiǎnzhí) means 'simply, practically': it introduces an exaggeration and often pairs with 太…了 or 像: 这简直是个奇迹 (this is simply a miracle).

明明 (míngmíng) means 'clearly, obviously (and yet)': it states a plain fact that someone is ignoring or contradicting. 你明明知道，为什么不告诉我？ (you obviously knew, so why didn't you tell me?). It usually leads into a complaint or a question.

  • 他做的菜简直跟饭店的一样好吃。

    Tā zuò de cài jiǎnzhí gēn fàndiàn de yíyàng hǎochī.

    His cooking is practically as good as a restaurant's.

  • 他明明听见了，却装作没听见。

    Tā míngmíng tīngjiàn le, què zhuāngzuò méi tīngjiàn.

    He obviously heard, but pretended he hadn't.

Emphatic 可, 倒是, 罢了 and 算了

可 (kě) before an adjective or verb adds spoken emphasis: 今天可真冷！ (it's really cold today!). 可不是 (kěbúshì) means 'you can say that again'. 可别 means 'whatever you do, don't'.

倒是 (dàoshì) introduces something contrary to expectation, or a concession: 这件衣服贵倒是不贵，就是不好看 (it's not expensive, I'll give it that, but it isn't nice).

罢了 (bà le) at the end of a sentence means 'that's all, merely': 我只是随便说说罢了 (I was just saying). 算了 (suàn le) means 'forget it, let it go'.

  • 你可别忘了！

    Nǐ kě bié wàng le!

    Whatever you do, don't forget!

  • 他说的倒是有道理。

    Tā shuō de dàoshì yǒu dàolǐ.

    He does have a point, actually.

令人 + feeling

令人 (lìngrén) + feeling means 'makes people feel …': 令人感动 (moving), 令人失望 (disappointing), 令人担心 (worrying). It turns a feeling verb into an English '-ing' adjective and is common in reviews and written comment. 让人 is the spoken version.

  • 这部电影的结局令人感动。

    Zhè bù diànyǐng de jiéjú lìngrén gǎndòng.

    The ending of this film is very moving.

Common mistakes

  • ✗今天很冷极了。

    ✓今天冷极了。

    Jīntiān lěng jí le.

    A degree complement after the adjective replaces 很; you can't have both.

  • ✗这个问题极其。

    ✓这个问题极其复杂。

    Zhège wèntí jíqí fùzá.

    极其 is an adverb before an adjective or verb; it can't stand alone like 极了.

  • ✗这本书令我很无聊。

    ✓这本书让我觉得很无聊。

    Zhè běn shū ràng wǒ juéde hěn wúliáo.

    令 + person + feeling suits formal writing; in speech, and with an everyday feeling like 无聊, use 让…觉得.

Questions learners ask

Is 死了 rude?

Not rude, just very informal. 累死了 and 饿死了 are everyday exaggerations; keep them out of written work.

Does 可 here have anything to do with 可以?

Historically, yes, but emphatic 可 is a separate spoken adverb. It doesn't mean 'may'.

Practice this in lessons

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

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