Degree complement

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Degree complements, also known as "complements of degree" in English, are 程度补语 (literally, "degree complement") in Chinese. While most complements follow verbs, degree complements very often follow adjectives. They intensify or in some other way modify the degree of expression of the adjective (or verb).

Structure of degree complements

Degree complements can modify both verbs and adjectives, but remember, they always come after the word they modify. The chart below illustrates the structural pattern you should expect to see with degree complements. Note that the structural particle 得 is used in many cases, but not in every case.

Word Preceding Complement	Particle	Degree Complement	Example
Verb	得	很好	说得很好
	得	不好	说得不好
	得	不好	说得不好
	得	不好	说得不好
Adjective	得	很	好得很
	得	不得了	坏得不得了
		极了	好极了
		死了	累死了

When to use degree complements

List of the most common degree complements