eric
/
ChineseGrammarWiki


			
				
					
						
						
							123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114
							<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE html>

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
  <meta name="generator" content="HTML Tidy for HTML5 for Linux version 5.2.0"/>
  <title>Negative adjectives with "-si le"</title>
  <link href="../Styles/main.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
</head>

<body>
  <h1>Negative adjectives with <span class="hanzist">死了</span> "<span class="pinyinst">-sǐ le</span>"</h1>

  <p>In English, you might use the expression "you scared me to death!" In Chinese, <span class="hanzi">死了</span> (<span class="pinyin">sǐ le</span>) is used similarly to intensify an adjective with an unpleasant connotation.</p>

  <h2 id="sigil_toc_id_3">Contents</h2>

  <div class="contents">
    <ul>
      <li><a href="#Structure"> 1 Structure</a></li>

      <li><a href="#Examples"> 2 Examples</a></li>

      <li><a href="#The-Short-Form"> 3 For positive connotations</a></li>

      <li><a href="#See-also"> 4 See also</a></li>

      <li><a href="#Sources-and-further-reading"> 5 Sources and further reading</a> 

      <ul>
        <li><a href="#books"> 5.1 Books</a></li>

        <li><a href="#videos"> 5.2 Videos</a></li>
      </ul></li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h2 id="structure">Structure</h2>

  <p>The "Subject" part below is actually optional, you can still make your over-the-top exclamations without it.</p>

  <div class="deux">
    <p>Adj. + <span class="hanzist">死了</span></p>
  </div>

  <p>This structure is technically a kind of degree complement.</p>

  <h2 id="examples">Examples</h2>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">我 <span class="fondvert">饿</span> <span class="fondjaune">死了</span>。</span><br/><span class="vert">Literally, "hungry to death"</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Wǒ <span class="fondvert">è</span> <span class="fondjaune">sǐ le</span>!</span><br/> I'm starving!</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">今天 <span class="fondvert">累</span> <span class="fondjaune">死了</span>。</span><br/><span class="vert">Literally, "tired to death"</span><br/> <span class="pinyin">Jīntiān <span class="fondvert">lèi</span> <span class="fondjaune">sǐ le</span>!</span> <br/>Today was so exhausting!</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondvert">热</span> <span class="fondjaune">死了</span>！</span><br/><span class="vert">Literally, "hot to death"</span><br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondvert">Rè</span> <span class="fondjaune">sǐ le</span>!</span> <br/>It's ridiculously hot!</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">这 几 天 <span class="fondvert">忙</span> <span class="fondjaune">死了</span>。</span><br/><span class="vert">Literally, "busy to death"</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Zhè jǐ tiān <span class="fondvert">máng</span> <span class="fondjaune">sǐ le</span>!</span> <br/>It's been so terribly busy these days!</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">这 件 衣服 <span class="fondvert">丑</span> <span class="fondjaune">死了</span>。</span><br/><span class="vert">Literally, "ugly to death"</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Zhè jiàn yīfu <span class="fondvert">chǒu</span> <span class="fondjaune">sǐ le</span>!</span> <br/>This clothing is totally hideous!</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">你 的 房间 <span class="fondvert">脏</span> <span class="fondjaune">死了</span>。</span><br/><span class="vert">Literally, "dirty to death"</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Nǐ de fángjiān <span class="fondvert">zāng</span> <span class="fondjaune">sǐ le</span>!</span> <br/>Your room is absolutely filthy!</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondvert">吵</span> <span class="fondjaune">死了</span>！</span><br/><span class="vert">Literally, "noisy to death"</span> <br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondvert">Chǎo</span> <span class="fondjaune">sǐ le</span>!</span> <br/>It's so terribly noisy!</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">这里 的 东西 <span class="fondvert">贵</span> <span class="fondjaune">死了</span>。</span><br/><span class="vert">Literally, "expensive to death"</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Zhèlǐ de dōngxi <span class="fondvert">guì</span> <span class="fondjaune">sǐ le</span> </span> <br/>The things here are criminally expensive!</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">我们 都 <span class="fondvert">急</span> <span class="fondjaune">死了</span>。</span><br/><span class="vert">Literally, "anxious to death"</span><br/> <span class="pinyin">Wǒmen dōu <span class="fondvert">jí</span> <span class="fondjaune">sǐ le</span> </span> <br/>We are all so terribly anxious!</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">这 个 孩子 <span class="fondvert">烦</span> <span class="fondjaune">死了</span>。</span><br/><span class="vert">Literally, "annoying to death"</span> <br/><span class="pinyin">Zhège háizi <span class="fondvert">fán</span> <span class="fondjaune">sǐ le</span> </span> <br/>This kid is so freaking annoying!</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <p>None of these sentences actually refers to someone dying. Instead the word <span class="hanzi">死了</span> (<span class="pinyin">sǐ le</span>) and the structure is simply used to intensify an adjective. Notice how these are awkward to translate into English; the translations above took a number of different angles to create the same impact as <span class="hanzi">-死了</span> (<span class="pinyin">sǐ le</span>) does in Chinese. You might say that <span class="hanzi">-死了 </span>(<span class="pinyin">sǐ le</span>) is much more versatile in Chinese than the English expression "to death."</p>

  <h2 id="for-positive-connotations">For Positive Connotations</h2>

  <p>Traditionally, <span class="hanzi">-死了</span> (sǐ le) is only for adjectives with negative connotations, while positive connotations use a similar degree complement, 极了 (jí le). In recent years, however, it's become quite popular to also use <span class="hanzi">-死了</span> (<span class="pinyin">sǐ le)</span> with positive adjectives:</p>

  <div class="exemple">
    <ul>
      <li><span class="hanzi">哇，<span class="fondvert">可爱</span> <span class="fondjaune">死了</span> ！</span> <br/><span class="vert">Literally, "cute to death" </span><br/><span class="pinyin">Wā, <span class="fondvert">kě'ài</span> <span class="fondjaune">sǐ le</span>!</span> <br/>OMG, adorbs!</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi"><span class="fondvert">漂亮</span> <span class="fondjaune">死了</span> ！</span> <br/><span class="vert">Literally, "pretty to death" </span><br/><span class="pinyin"><span class="fondvert">Piàoliang</span> <span class="fondjaune">sǐ le</span>!</span> <br/>Drop-dead gorgeous!</li>

      <li><span class="hanzi">这 个 蛋糕 <span class="fondvert">好吃</span> <span class="fondjaune">死了</span>。</span><br/><span class="vert">Literally, "delicious to death" </span><br/><span class="pinyin">Zhège dàngāo <span class="fondvert">hǎochī</span> <span class="fondjaune">sǐ le</span>!</span><br/> This cake is to die for!</li>
    </ul>
  </div>

  <h2 id="see-also">See Also</h2>

  <ul>
    <li><a href="Degree_complement" title="wikilink">Degree complement</a></li>

    <li><a href="Adjectival_complement_&quot;de_hen&quot;" title="wikilink">Adjectival complement "de hen"</a></li>

    <li><a href="Positive_adjectives_with_&quot;-ji_le&quot;" title="wikilink">Positive adjectives with "-ji le"</a></li>
  </ul>

  <h2 id="sources-and-further-reading">Sources and further reading</h2>

  <h3 id="books">Books</h3>

  <ul>
    <li>New Practical Chinese Reader 4 (<span class="hanzi">新实用汉语课本4</span>) (p. 104)</li>

    <li>Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (p. 139)</li>

    <li>Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (p. 105)</li>

    <li>Yufa!</li>
  </ul>
</body>
</html>