In Chinese, the structure 得很 (de hěn) is often placed after an adjective to intensify its meaning. It functions in a way that is somewhat similar to using 很 (hěn) before an adjective, but with a few important differences in tone and usage.
Position: Unlike 很, which comes before the adjective (e.g., 很冷 "very cold"), 得很 comes after the adjective (e.g., 冷得很 "extremely cold").
Meaning: It emphasizes the adjective and makes it sound stronger, roughly equivalent to "very," "extremely," or "really" in English.
Tone: It tends to appear in more informal or colloquial contexts, often in spoken Chinese, and conveys a stronger, sometimes even slightly exaggerated, sense of intensity.
Sample Sentences
这个问题虽然看起来简单，其实复杂得很，需要花很多时间来研究。This problem may look simple, but it’s actually extremely complicated and requires a lot of time to study.
今天的天气热得很，我走到楼下的商店就已经满头大汗了。The weather today is unbearably hot; just walking downstairs to the shop left me drenched in sweat.
这本书有趣得很，我一口气看了五个小时都不想停下来。This book is incredibly interesting — I read it for five hours straight and didn’t want to stop.
In a Text
今天早上，我出门的时候发现外面冷得很，风吹得脸都麻了。我赶紧裹紧了围巾，走在街上，看到路边的小狗也冷得很，缩成一团在树下发抖。
路过早餐店的时候，香味扑鼻，我点了一碗热腾腾的豆浆和一个油条，味道好吃得很，让我立刻暖和了不少。吃完早餐，我继续往学校走，路上的人多得很，每个人都快步走着，好像都急着去完成今天的任务。
到了教室，老师笑得很，精神饱满地给我们讲课，同学们听得认真得很，笔记写得密密麻麻。放学的时候，天又热又晒，太阳照得人眼睛都睁不开，但心情却轻松得很，因为终于完成了一天的学习。
缩成一团 (suō chéng yī tuán): curl up into a ball
发抖 (fā dǒu): shiver; tremble
香味扑鼻 (xiāng wèi pū bí): a fragrant smell hits the nose; smells delicious
热腾腾 (rè téng téng): steaming hot; piping hot
精神饱满 (jīng shén bǎo mǎn): full of energy; energetic and vigorous
密密麻麻 (mì mì má má): densely packed; crammed
睁 (zhēng): open (one’s eyes)
This morning, when I went out, I found that it was extremely cold outside, and the wind made my face numb. I quickly wrapped my scarf tighter and walked down the street, seeing the little dog by the roadside shivering under a tree, cold as can be.
When I passed the breakfast shop, the aroma hit me — I ordered a bowl of steaming hot soy milk and a fried dough stick, and the taste was really delicious, immediately warming me up quite a bit. After finishing breakfast, I continued walking to school. The street was crowded with people, everyone walking quickly, as if rushing to complete today’s tasks.
When I got to the classroom, the teacher was smiling brightly, full of energy as she taught us, and the students listened very attentively, writing notes densely and carefully. After school, the sun was both hot and glaring, making it hard to keep our eyes open, but my mood was extremely light because I had finally completed a day of studying.
