Complement of degree 2: 得很
Meaning
The pattern “得很” follows an adjective to show a high degree of the quality.
In English it is usually translated as:
very…
quite…
very strongly…
得很 (de hěn) means “very / extremely” and is especially common in spoken Chinese.
Basic Structure
Subject + Adjective + 得很
For example:
好得很hǎo de hěnvery good
热得很rè de hěnvery hot
累得很lèi de hěnvery tired
漂亮得很piàoliang de hěnvery beautiful
1. The weather is very good
现在天气好得很！
Breakdown:
现在 → now
天气 → weather
好 → good
得很 → very
好得很 = very good
2. It's very hot in the room
房间里面热得很
房间里面 → inside the room
热 → hot
得很 → very
热得很 = very hot
3. I'm very tired after the climb
我觉得爬山累得很
我觉得 → I think / it seems to me
爬山 → to climb a mountain
累 → tired
得很 → very
累得很 = very tired
The Key Rule
得很 normally intensifies the degree of the adjective.
Plain form:
很 + Adjective
天气很好
With 得很:
Adjective + 得很
天气好得很
Both express a high degree, but 得很 sounds more colloquial and more emphatic.
How to Remember
The main rule:
Adjective + 得很 = very + adjective
好得很hǎo de hěnvery good
热得很rè de hěnvery hot
冷得很lěng de hěnvery cold
累得很lèi de hěnvery tired
忙得很máng de hěnvery busy
高兴得很gāoxìng de hěnvery happy
漂亮得很piàoliang de hěnvery beautiful
Important!
得很 goes after the adjective, never before it.
❌ Wrong: 得很好
✅ Correct: 好得很
Compare the Word Order
他忙得很
The Chinese word order is:
忙 + 得很
not 得很 + 忙
Simple Pattern
Subject + Adjective + 得很
Example:
他 + 忙 + 得很
→ He + busy + very
→ He is very busy.
More Examples
天气好得很
房间里面热得很
今天冷得很
我忙得很
她高兴得很
Quick Summary
得很 = very / really / extremely
Formula:
Subject + Adjective + 得很
Remember:
好得很hǎo de hěnvery good
热得很rè de hěnvery hot
累得很lèi de hěnvery tired
忙得很máng de hěnvery busy
Key point: 得很 always follows the adjective.