Expressing "quite" with "ting"

挺 can be used before an adjective to mean "quite," or "rather," or "pretty," as in "pretty good."

Using 挺 with Adjectives Only

Using 挺 with an adjective means "quite."

Structure

挺 + Adj. + 的

Examples

• 这 件 衣服 大小 挺 合适 的 。 Zhè jiàn yīfu dàxiǎo tǐng héshì de.The size of this piece of clothes is quite suitable.
• 我 觉得 你 妈妈 挺 年轻 的 。 Wǒ juéde nǐ māma tǐng niánqīng de.I think your mom is quite young.
• 你 不 觉得 他 挺 帅 的吗 ？ Nǐ bù juéde tā tǐng shuài de ma?You don't think he's quite handsome?
• 他们 家 挺 有钱 的 ， 但是他不像有钱人 。 Tāmen jiā tǐng yǒuqián de, dànshì tā bù xiàng yǒuqiánrén.Their family is quite rich, but he doesn't like like a rich person.
• 大学生 毕业 找 工作 的 压力 挺 大 的 。 Dàxuéshēng bìyè zhǎo gōngzuò de yālì tǐng dà de.College graduates who are looking for jobs are under quite a lot of pressure.

Using 挺 with a Verb Phrase

In English, we're limited on what words come after the word "quite." Though Chinese is open to take on verbs after 挺, these verbs are mostly psychological verbs.

Structure

挺 + Verb + Obj. + 的

Examples

• 这 份 工作 压力 不 大，挺 适合 女孩子 的。This job doesn't give you much stress.It quite suits girls.
• 我们 一直 都挺 想你 的。We always miss you.
• 我 真的挺 讨厌 你 老板的。I really hate your boss.
• 你 不是挺喜欢 他的吗？为什么 要 跟 他 分手？Don't you really like him? Why do you want to break up with him?
• 他不是挺爱运动的吗？怎么不跟我们一起去爬山？Doesn't he love to do sports? Why didn't he climb the mountain with us?

Sources and further reading

Books

• Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 220) →buy

Websites

• [1]
• [2]