Difference between revisions of "Expressing "simply" with "jianzhi""

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Note that although it is possible in English to  say something is "simply beautiful",  in Chinese, 简直 cannot be followed directly by an unmodified adjective.
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Although it is possible in English to  say something is "simply beautiful",  in Chinese, 简直 cannot be followed directly by an unmodified adjective.
  
 
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Revision as of 04:29, 8 November 2011

简直(jiǎn zhí) is similar to simply or completely in English, and adds a tone of amazement on the part of the speaker. It can be used to modify adjectives, verbs and nouns. However, it can be a little tricky to use, as it is used differently with different words.


Using 简直 to modify nouns

When modifying nouns, it is necessary to add a measure word before the noun.

For example:

  • 我 崩溃, 他 简直 是 个 白痴!
  • 你 的 房间 简直 像 一 个 战场,快点 收拾 收拾!
  • 他 的 孩子 简直 是 个 神童!

Using 简直 to modify adjectives

  • 你 的 男 朋友 简直(是)太 帅 了,小心 别 的 女生 跟 你 抢!
  • 中国 的 高速 铁路 修建 得 简直 太 快 了,难怪 有 安全 问题!

Although it is possible in English to say something is "simply beautiful", in Chinese, 简直 cannot be followed directly by an unmodified adjective.

  • 简直 漂亮
  • 简直很漂亮
  • 简直 太 漂亮 了
  • 简直 漂亮 极 了

Using 简直 to modify verbs

When modifying verbs, 简直 is often used with 在, to form the present continuous tense. An example of this in English would be: "He's simply lying to you".

Here are some Chinese examples:

  • 三星 的 智能 手机 简直 在 模仿 iphone.
  • 简直 不敢 相信!

Sources and further reading

Books

  • Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) pp.134-136
  • Boya Chinese Upper Intermediate 1 (博雅汉语中级冲刺篇) pp.115