In English, nouns can be "linked" to adjectives and other nouns with the
verb "to be." In Chinese, [nouns](noun "wikilink") are linked to other
nouns in one way, but linked to [adjectives](adjective "wikilink") in a
completely different way. Nouns are linked to other [nouns with 是
(shì)](Connecting_nouns_with_"shi" "wikilink"). Nouns are linked to
adjectives with 很 (hěn).

Structure
---------

<div class="jiegou">
Noun + 很 + Adj.

</div>
The noun in this structure is the subject of the sentence. Sometimes the
很 (hěn) in this structure is translated as "very," but often it is just
a way to link a noun to an adjective.

Examples
--------

In the following examples, 很 (hěn) is just a link (you could think of
it as a substitute for the verb "to be"), and the sentences could be
translated as "(Noun) is (adjective)."

<div class="liju">
-   我 <em>很</em> 好。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ <em>hěn</em>
    hǎo.</span><span class="trans">I'm good.</span>
-   你 <em>很</em> 漂亮。 <span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>hěn</em>
    piàoliang.</span><span class="trans">You are pretty.</span>
-   他 <em>很</em> 高兴。 <span class="pinyin">Tā <em>hěn</em>
    gāoxìng.</span><span class="trans">He is happy.</span>
-   中文 <em>很</em> 难。 <span class="pinyin">Zhōngwén <em>hěn</em>
    nán.</span><span class="trans">Chinese is difficult.</span>
-   老板 <em>很</em> 生气。 <span class="pinyin">Lǎobǎn <em>hěn</em>
    shēngqì.</span><span class="trans">The boss is angry.</span>
-   我们 <em>很</em> 累。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒmen <em>hěn</em>
    lèi.</span><span class="trans">We're tired.</span>
-   我 哥哥 也 <em>很</em> 高。 <span class="pinyin">Wǒ gēge yě
    <em>hěn</em> gāo.</span><span class="trans">My older brother is also
    tall.</span>
-   你 家 也 <em>很</em> 远 吗？ <span class="pinyin"> Nǐ jiā yě
    <em>hěn</em> yuǎn ma?</span><span class="trans">Is your house also
    far away?</span>
-   爸爸 <em>很</em> 忙，妈妈 也 很 忙。 <span class="pinyin"> Bàba
    <em>hěn</em> máng, māma yě hěn máng.</span><span class="trans">Dad
    is busy, and mom is also busy.</span>
-   他 和 他 弟弟 都 <em>很</em> 帅。 <span class="pinyin">Tā hé tā dìdi
    dōu <em>hěn</em> shuài.</span><span class="trans">He and his younger
    brother are both handsome.</span>

</div>
Remember that **是 (shì) is not used to link adjectives to nouns**. This
is a classic mistake that almost everyone makes when learning Chinese.
Make sure you use 很 (hěn) and not 是 (shì) to link adjectives to nouns,
as shown below:

<div class="liju">
-   他 <strong>是</strong> 高。<span class="pinyin">Tā
    <strong>shì</strong> gāo.</span>
-   他 <em>很</em> 高。 <span class="pinyin">Tā <em>hěn</em>
    gāo.</span><span class="trans">He is tall.</span>

</div>
What 很 (hěn) Really Means
--------------------------

If you're like most learners, when you first learn this pattern, you're
thinking, *"How can 很 (hěn) mean "very" one minute, but then nothing
but a "link" the next? How do I know if anything means anything in this
language?"* That's a reasonable response. But in the case of these "Noun
+ Adj." sentences, you just have to think of this usage of 很 (hěn) as
an exception. It's just part of the structure.

If you actually want to add the meaning of "very" into the sentence, you
could use another adverb instead of 很 (hěn). One good choice is 非常
(fēicháng).

<div class="liju">
-   他 <strong>非常</strong> 高 。<span class="pinyin">Tā
    <strong>fēicháng</strong> gāo.</span><span class="trans">He is very
    tall.</span>

</div>
See also
--------

-   [Connecting nouns with
    "shi"](Connecting_nouns_with_"shi" "wikilink")

Sources and further reading
---------------------------

### Videos

-   Yoyo Chinese: ["To be" +
    Adjectives](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDoyhfSUpII&list=PL94A5E422FB99CDDD)

### Books

-   [Basic Patterns of Chinese
    Grammar](Basic_Patterns_of_Chinese_Grammar "wikilink") (pp. 56-8)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1933330899/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1933330899)
-   [Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second
    Edition](Chinese:_An_Essential_Grammar,_Second_Edition "wikilink") (pp.
    44-5)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0415372615/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0415372615)
-   [Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 1
    (3rd ed)](Integrated_Chinese:_Level_1,_Part_1_(3rd_ed) "wikilink") (pp.
    126-8)　[→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0887276385/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0887276385)
-   [New Practical Chinese Reader
    1 (新实用汉语课本1)](New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(新实用汉语课本1) "wikilink") (pp.
    20-1, 143)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561910401/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=7561910401)
-   [New Practical Chinese Reader 1
    (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed)](New_Practical_Chinese_Reader_1_(新实用汉语课本1)(2nd_ed) "wikilink") (pp.
    23, 166, 249)
    [→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/7561926235/ref%3das_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=allset-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=7561926235)
-   [40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course
    (基础汉语40课上册）](40_Lessons_for_Basic_Chinese_Course_(基础汉语40课上册） "wikilink") (p.
    86)[→buy](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001FTL8D8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001FTL8D8&linkCode=as2&tag=allset-20)

[Category:A1 grammar points](Category:A1_grammar_points "wikilink")