Chinese Conversation · Level 19
90 words
Chinese word
挺
Pronunciation
Pinyintǐng
Meaning
- adverbquite
Example
这道菜挺好吃的。zhè dào cài tíng hǎo chī de
This dish is quite tasty.
More examples
他昨天工作到很晚，今天挺累的。tā zuó tiān gōng zuò dào hěn wǎn jīn tiān tǐng lèi de
He worked until very late yesterday, so he is quite tired today.
Core concept
Shows that a feeling or quality stands out as fairly strong without making it absolute.
Common phrases
挺累的tǐng lèi de
quite tired
挺忙tǐng máng
quite busy
Similar words
很hěn: An ordinary daily-use intensifier for showing a high degree.
非常fēi cháng: An intensifier used to stress that a degree is exceptionally high.
比较bǐ jiào: An intensifier showing a degree that is fairly high but not especially strong.
Definition in Chinese
用来加强程度，常与形容词或表示状态的动词连用，多见于口语，语气偏随意，含义与“相当”“颇为”接近。yòng lái jiā qiáng chéng dù cháng yǔ xíng róng cí huò biǎo shì zhuàng tài de dòng cí lián yòng duō jiàn yú kóu yǔ yǔ qì piān suí yì hán yì yǔ xiāng dāng pǒ wèi jiē jìn
Word origin
挺 (tǐng, "degree adverb") has become a conventional spoken intensifier in modern Mandarin, so its current use is best learned as a whole rather than derived from the character's older concrete senses.
Usage tips
- 挺 (tǐng, "quite") is common in casual conversation, so it helps Chinese comments sound relaxed instead of overly formal.