In English, the words "that" and "so" are often used to increase the extent of an adjective (ex. "he is so tall" or "this food is so good"). In Chinese, 那么 (nàme) and 这么 (zhème) serve the same function.

Structure

All you have to do to use this grammar structure is put the 那么 or 这么 in front of the adjective.

Examples

你说得这么快，我怎么能听懂？ Nǐ shuōde zhème kuài, wǒ zěnme néng tīngdǒng ? You speak so fast. How could I understand you?
你怎么那么忙？Nǐ zěnme nàme máng?How come you are so busy?
雨这么大，明天再去吧。 Yǔ zhème dà, míngtiān zài qù ba.It's raining so heavily. How about we go tomorrow?
你那么有钱，为什么还要工作？ Nǐ nàme yǒuqián, wèishénme hái yào gōngzuò.You are so rich. Why are you still working?
中国人口这么多，当然会有很多社会问题。Zhōngguó rénkǒu zhème duō, dāngrán huì yǒu hěn duō shèhuì wèntí.China has such a big population. Of course there will be many social problems.
我没想到这个考试这么难。Wǒ méi xiǎng dào zhège kǎoshì zhème nán.I didn't expect this exam is so difficult.
你怎么有这么多问题要问？Nǐ zěnme yǒu zhème duō wèntí yào wèn?How come you have so many questions to ask?
这个老外怎么会了解那么多中国历史？Zhège lǎowài zěnme huì liǎojiě nàme duō Zhōngguó lìshǐ?How come this foreigner knows so much about Chinese history?
今天这么冷，你怎么穿那么少？Jīntiān zhème lěng, nǐ zěnme chuān nàme shǎo?It's so cold today. How come you wear so little?
科技那么发达，什么都是有可能的。Kējì nàme fādá, shénme dōu shì yǒu kěnéng de.Science and technology is so developed. Nothing is impossible.

When to use which one

You might be thinking 那 and 这 have different meanings. How can they be used the same way?" Well, there are some differences. "这么" is used when the thing you are talking about is close by, when you would say "this" or "这个." On the other hand, if the object is far away, you would use "那么." Furthermore, this distance doesn't have to be physical, it can also refer to time, so you would use "那么" with things like "yesterday" or "tomorrow."

Structure

Examples

When to use which one

See also

Sources and further reading

Books