:Chinese adjectives

When a noun is modified using an adjective, the associative particle {{lang|zh|的}} de is inserted between the adjective and the noun. For example, {{lang|zh|高兴}}{{color|red|{{lang|zh|的}}}}{{lang|zh|孩子}} gāo xìng {{color|red|de}} hái zi "happy child". {{lang|zh|的}} is sometimes omitted to reduce repetitiveness (e.g., two or more instances of {{lang|zh|的}} within a sentence); it is also omitted in some established{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}} adjective-noun pairs to improve sentence flow (e.g., the TV show {{lang|zh|快乐中国}} in China). It is also more typical to omit {{lang|zh|的}} when a single-syllable adjective is used than for a multi-syllable adjective (e.g., compare {{lang|zh|坏人}} ({{lang|zh-hant|壞人}}) with {{lang|zh|奇怪的人}}). In general, there are no strict rules regarding when {{lang|zh|的}} can be omitted; however, some adjectives and adjective-noun pairs are more often seen without the associative particle than others.

Some examples:

• {{Ruby-zh-p|坏|huài}} {{Ruby-zh-p|人|rén}} （{{lang|zh-hant|壞人}}）— "bad person"
• {{Ruby-zh-p|奇怪|qíguài}} {{Ruby-zh-p|的|de}} {{Ruby-zh-p|人|rén}} — "strange person"
• {{Ruby-zh-p|可爱|kěài}} {{Ruby-zh-p|的|de}} {{Ruby-zh-p|熊猫|xióngmāo}} （{{lang|zh-hant|可愛的熊貓}}）— "cute panda"

Unlike English, subjects and predicate adjectives in a Chinese sentence are not linked by copula but by degree adverbs, such as {{lang|zh|{{linktext|很}}}} hěn "very," {{lang|zh|{{linktext|好}}}} hǎo "highly", {{lang|zh|{{linktext|真}}}} zhēn "really," and {{lang|zh|{{linktext|非常}}}} fēicháng "extraordinarily, extremely." For example, the following sentences express increasing degrees of "beauty":

{{fs interlinear|number=ex:|她 很 漂亮。|tā hěn piàoliang|She is beautiful.}}

{{fs interlinear|number=ex:|她 好 漂亮。|tā hǎo piàoliang|She is very beautiful.}}

{{fs interlinear|number=ex:|她 真 漂亮。|tā zhēn piàoliang|She is really beautiful.}}

{{fs interlinear|number=ex:|她 非常 漂亮。|tā fēicháng piàoliang|She is extraordinarily beautiful.}}

A complementary adverb (e.g. {{lang|zh|极了}} jí le) can also specify the degree of an adjective:

{{fs interlinear|number=ex:|

|她 漂亮 极 了。|c1=（{{lang|zh-hant|她漂亮極了。}}）

|tā piàoliang jí le

|She is exceedingly beautiful.}}

NB: {{lang|zh|很}} often functions as a dummy linking{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}} adverb and does not carry the meaning of "very". For example, {{lang|zh|她很漂亮}} is often understood and translated as "She is beautiful".

Besides, in colloquial Chinese the pattern "{{lang|zh|AA死了}}" (sǐ le, literally "to death") or "{{lang|zh|AA死BB了}}" is sometimes used in exaggeration to highlight the extent of influence, where AA is an adjective and BB is the thing being affected. Examples include

• "{{lang|zh|热死了}}" ({{lang|zh|热}} rè = hot) - meaning "It's so hot [to the extent that I cannot bear any more]"
• "{{lang|zh|饿死了}}" ({{lang|zh|饿}} è = hungry) - meaning "[I feel] so hungry [to the extent that I cannot bear any more]"
• "{{lang|zh|热死我了}}" - meaning "I feel so hot [to the extent that I cannot bear any more]"

The linking verb {{lang|zh|是}} shì (to be) is used with adjectives in the pattern—Noun + {{lang|zh|是}} + Adj + {{lang|zh|的}}—to state or emphasize a fact or a perceived fact. For example:

{{fs interlinear|number=ex:

|他 是 男 的。

|tā shì nán de

|3SG {to be} male {}

|He is male.}}

{{fs interlinear|number=ex:

|那 辆 车 是 新 的。|c1=（{{lang|zh-hant|那輛車是新的。}}）

|nà liàng chē shì xīn de

|that CL car {to be} new {}

|That car is new.}}

{{fs interlinear|number=ex:

|那 只 猫 是 黑 的。|c1=（{{lang|zh-hant|那隻貓是黑的。}}）

|nà zhī māo shì hēi de

|that CL cat {to be} black {}

|That cat is black.}}

Since {{lang|zh|的}} is a possessive particle, and the following noun is understood here, more precise translations would be "He is a male one", "That car is a new one", and "That cat is a black one".

• Chinese pronouns
• Chinese verbs
• Chinese particles
• Chinese grammar

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Adjectives