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HSK 3 Degree Complement: Adjective + 得很
Adjective + 得很 expresses a high degree, roughly “really/very [adjective]”. The adjective phrase often serves as a predicate; 得很 is the degree complement inside it. It is usually more emphatic than unstressed 很 before an adjective, but context and stress also matter.
他最近忙得很。
Correct: 得很 follows the single-syllable adjective 忙 (máng) as a degree complement.
× 他最近很忙得很。
Incorrect: Do not place the adverb 很 before the adjective when the degree complement 得很 is already used after it. Use 他最近忙得很 instead.
Corrected example: 他最近忙得很。
Read the full explanation and examples
What Adjective + 得很 Means and Where It Fits
In the HSK Level 3 grammar outline, the pattern Adjective + 得很 (de hěn) is introduced under sentence constituents as a complement of degree (程度补语1).
When learners first study Chinese adjectives, they learn to place the degree adverb 很 (hěn) before an adjective, as in 很忙 (hěn máng). In that basic position, 很 is often weak and mainly helps the adjective function smoothly as a predicate. By contrast, when you place 得很 after the adjective, it acts as a complement of degree. This post-adjectival position carries real emphatic weight: it tells the listener that the quality reaches a genuinely high degree, similar to 'very much', 'really', or 'quite' in conversational English.
Grammatically, the adjective acts as the core of the predicate, and 得很 attaches to the right of that adjective to complete the description of degree. Because the particle 得 (de) is a structural marker introducing a complement, it is always pronounced in the neutral tone (de), while 很 keeps its third tone (hěn).
Sentence Structure and Core Examples
The basic pattern is Subject + Adjective + 得很, with appropriate time or place expressions. No linking 是 is needed for this ordinary description; emphatic or other 是 constructions are a separate use.
This pattern works seamlessly with both single-syllable adjectives like 忙 (máng, busy) or 冷 (lěng, cold) and two-syllable adjectives like 干净 (gānjìng, clean) or 高兴 (gāoxìng, happy). Study the following four examples to see how the structure operates in complete sentences:
他最近忙得很。
Correct: 得很 follows the single-syllable adjective 忙 (máng) as a degree complement.
今天外边冷得很。
Correct: 冷得很 (lěng de hěn) serves as the main predicate describing the weather outside.
这个房间干净得很。
Correct: 得很 works naturally after the two-syllable adjective 干净 (gānjìng).
孩子们高兴得很。
Correct: 高兴得很 (gāoxìng de hěn) acts as the clause predicate to emphasize the children's mood.
Word Order Rules and Position Restrictions
Because Adjective + 得很 already expresses a complete degree judgment, it imposes strict limits on what else can appear in the same phrase. Understanding these restrictions will prevent the most common structural errors.
- For a neutral learner sentence, choose 很忙 or 忙得很 rather than redundantly stacking 很忙得很. This does not prohibit every adverb before the adjective: 果然忙得很 is possible, and attitude or emphasis must be assessed in context.
- Predicate use is an easy starting point: 这个房间干净得很. A noun-modifying phrase with 的 is also possible, as in 这是一个干净得很的房间. Do not confuse “not a bare modifier directly before a noun” with “cannot modify a noun even with 的”.
- Keep the adjective and 得很 together: Nothing may be inserted between the adjective and 得, or between 得 and 很.
- Do not negate the pattern directly by putting 不 before 得很: To express a negative meaning such as 'not busy', use the standard negative predicate 不忙 (bù máng) rather than trying to negate the 得很 complement.
Compare the redundant degree-marking example with the valid noun-modifying example below.
× 他最近很忙得很。
Incorrect: Do not place the adverb 很 before the adjective when the degree complement 得很 is already used after it. Use 他最近忙得很 instead.
Corrected example: 他最近忙得很。
这是一个干净得很的房间。
This noun-modifying use with 的 is possible. 很干净的房间 is a simpler neutral alternative; 这个房间干净得很 uses the same degree phrase as a predicate. A common teaching preference is not a ban on the other construction.
Distinguishing Adjective + 得很 from Related Patterns
To use this complement accurately, you need to distinguish it both from pre-adjectival adverbs and from neighbouring complement types that also use 得 or express degree.
- Contrast with 很 + Adjective: 很忙 (hěn máng) is the neutral, everyday way to state a fact ('is busy'). 忙得很 (máng de hěn) shifts the degree expression into the complement slot after the adjective, making the statement much more vivid and emphatic ('really busy' or 'busy indeed'). It is especially natural in spoken Chinese when reacting to a situation or confirming a strong impression.
- Contrast with Potential Complements using 得: Not every Verb/Adjective + 得 structure expresses degree. In potential complements (such as 听得懂 tīng de dǒng, 'able to understand by listening'), 得 sits between an action verb and a result to mean 'can' or 'able to'. In Adjective + 得很, there is no meaning of ability or possibility; 得很 strictly measures how intense the quality is.
- Contrast with State/Manner Complements: You may also see sentences like 他跑得很快 (Tā pǎo de hěn kuài, 'He runs very fast'), where 得 connects an action verb (跑) to a descriptive phrase (很快). In our target pattern (Adjective + 得很), 得 follows the adjective itself, and 很 stands alone after 得 without another adjective following it.
- Contrast with Other Degree Complements: Chinese has other degree complements that attach directly to adjectives or verbs without using 得, such as 极了 (jí le). With 得很, however, the structural particle 得 is always mandatory: you cannot drop 得 and say 忙很.
Frequently asked questions
Is Adjective + 得很 stronger than 很 + Adjective?
Usually it is more emphatic than a weakly stressed 很忙. But 很 before an adjective can itself be stressed to mean “very”. The difference is not a fixed numerical scale of intensity independent of context.
Can I omit 得 and just put 很 after the adjective?
No. When 很 comes after the adjective as a complement of degree, the structural particle 得 is required to link the adjective and 很.
How is 得 pronounced in Adjective + 得很?
It is pronounced 'de' in the neutral tone. Do not pronounce it 'dé' (second tone) or 'děi' (third tone) when it introduces a complement.
