Chinese word

非常

Pronunciation

Pinyinfēi cháng

Meaning

  • adverbvery

Example

我非常高兴。wǒ fēi cháng gāo xìng

I am very happy.

Illustration for 非常 (very)

More examples

这本书非常好。zhè běn shū fēi cháng hǎo

This book is very good.

Core concept

A marker that lifts a quality or feeling far above its ordinary level.

Common phrases

  • 非常好fēi cháng hǎo

    very good

  • 非常高兴fēi cháng gāo xìng

    very happy

  • 非常好吃fēi cháng hǎo chī

    very tasty

Similar words

很hěn: Marks a high degree before an adjective or state word in ordinary statements.
特别tè bié: Marks an especially high degree and highlights the intensity of a quality or feeling.

Definition in Chinese

用于表示程度很高的副词，常置于形容词或动词前以加强语气，如“非常高兴”。yòng yú biǎo shì chéng dù hěn gāo de fù cí cháng zhì yú xíng róng cí huò dòng cí qián yǐ jiā qiáng yǔ qì rú fēi cháng gāo xìng

Word origin

The parts 非 (fēi, "not") + 常 (cháng, "usual") suggest something outside the ordinary, which developed into a word for an unusually high degree.

Usage tips

  • Its place is before the word it makes stronger, not after it, which gives Chinese sentences a steady pattern.

Word lists with this word