HSK · Level 55
105 words
Chinese word
简直
Pronunciation
Pinyinjiǎn zhí
Meaning
- adverbsimply
Example
简直太漂亮了！jiǎn zhí tài piào liàng le
It's simply beautiful!
More examples
他昨天连续得了两个奖，简直不敢相信自己的运气。tā zuó tiān lián xù dé le liǎng gè jiǎng jiǎn zhí bù gǎn xiāng xìn zì jǐ de yùn qì
He won two awards consecutively yesterday and simply couldn't believe his luck.
Core concept
Pushes an evaluation to the point where it feels almost exactly true, often with an emotional reaction.
Common phrases
简直太好了jiǎn zhí tài hǎo le
simply great
简直不敢相信jiǎn zhí bù gǎn xiāng xìn
simply can't believe it
简直就是jiǎn zhí jiù shì
is simply
Similar words
太tài: Marks a very high degree, and in some contexts suggests that the degree is excessive.
真zhēn: Adds plain, sincere emphasis meaning "really," often showing the speaker's genuine reaction.
很hěn: Marks a high degree in a common, mild, and generally neutral way.
Definition in Chinese
多用于口语，用来表达强烈的惊讶、赞美或不满，常见搭配如“简直太……了”。duō yòng yú kóu yǔ yòng lái biǎo dá qiáng liè de jīng yà zàn měi huò bù mǎn cháng jiàn dā pèi rú jiǎn zhí tài le
Word origin
The direct senses of 简 (jiǎn, "simple") and 直 (zhí, "straight") support the modern use of 简直 (jiǎnzhí, "simply; as if") for presenting an evaluation as unmistakable and extreme.
Usage tips
- English learners often expect a calm factual meaning from this word, but conversational Chinese uses it to make an utterance vivid and emotionally charged rather than neutral or formal.
Other meanings
- as ifadverb