Comparing "henduo" and "xuduo"

很多 (hěn duō) and 许多 (xǔduō) both mean "a lot," "many," or "much," and often can be used interchangeably. Both are used in informal and formal situations. The key to understanding 很多 and 许多 is that when they are used as an object after a verb, or when attributed to something that you have a lot of, they can be used interchangeably. The difference is that only 很多 can be the predicate of a sentence.

B1HSK4ASV4567

	很多 (hěn duō)	许多 (xǔduō)
Meaning	a lot, many, much	a lot, many, much
Part of Speech	number word	number word
Formality	flexible	flexible

:Yes

Both 很多 and 许多 can modify nouns

很多 is more common, and is really just the adverb 很 plus the adjective 多. 许多 is one word, and as such is less flexible in usage. 许多 is also more formal.

• 我 认识 很 多 汉字 。 Wǒ rènshi hěn duō hànzì.I know a lot of Chinese characters.
• 学 好 汉语 需要 很 多 时间 。 Xué hǎo Hànyǔ xūyào hěn duō shíjiān.It takes a lot of time to learn Chinese well.
• 早上 ， 公园 里 有 很 多 人 遛狗 。 Zǎoshang, gōngyuán lǐ yǒu hěn duō rén liù gǒu.In the morning, there are many people walking their dogs in the park.
• 这 份 工作 让 我 积累 了 许多 经验 。 Zhè fèn gōngzuò ràng wǒ jīlěi le xǔduō jīngyàn.This job has given me a lot of experience.
• 我 在 北京 有 许多 老朋友 。 Wǒ zài Běijīng yǒu xǔduō lǎopéngyou.I have many old friends in Beijing.
• 最近 有 很 多 问题 ， 工作 的 问题 和 私人 的 问题 。 Zuìjìn yǒu hěn duō wèntí, gōngzuò de wèntí hé sīrén de wèntí.Lately there have been a lot of problems, both work and personal.
• 这些 纪念品 引起 了 许多 美好 的 回忆 。 Zhèxiē jìniànpǐn yǐnqǐ le xǔduō měihǎo de huíyì.These souvenirs bring back a lot of wonderful memories.
• 这 家 工厂 生产 了 许多 产品 ， 但是 没有 卖 出去 。 Zhè jiā gōngchǎng shēngchǎn le xǔduō chǎnpǐn, dànshì méiyǒu mài chūqù.This factory produced a lot of products, but wasn't able to sell them.

Only 很多 can be the predicate

When 很多 is the predicate, it usually looks something like this:

Noun Phrase + 很多

The predicate could end the sentence, or might just complete the first clause of a complex sentence.

• 春节的 时候，来 家里 的 客人 很 多。 Chūnjié de shíhou, lái jiālǐ de kèrén hěn duō .During the Spring Festival, many people came to the house.
• 现在 儿童的 书 很 多，但是 有趣的 书 不 多。 Xiànzài értóng de shū hěn duō , dànshì yǒuqù de shū bù duō.There are a lot of books for children, but not many interesting books.
• 参加面试的人很 多，所以今天公司很热闹。 Cānjiā miànshì de rén hěn duō , suǒyǐ jīntiān gōngsī hěn rènao.There are a lot of people attending interviews, so the company is very busy today.

Only 很多 can be a complement

When 很多 is a complement, it usually looks something like this:

Verb + 得 / 了 + 很多

• 最近 她 在 减肥，所以 瘦 了 很 多。 Zuìjìn tā zài jiǎnféi, suǒyǐ shòu le hěn duō .Recently, she has lost a lot of weight because she is losing weight.
• 她 最近 吃 得 很 多 ， 可能 是 怀孕 了 。 Tā zuìjìn chī de hěn duō , kěnéng shì huáiyùn le.She has been eating a lot lately, probably because she is pregnant.

Websites

• “很多”和“许多”