Chinese adjectives
Template:Short description Template:More citations needed
Chinese adjectives (Template:Zh) differ from adjectives in English in that they can be used as verbs<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (for example Template:Zh; Template:Abbr "sky black Template:Smallcaps") and thus linguists sometimes prefer to use the terms static or stative verb to describe them.
Attributive (before nouns)
When a noun is modified using an adjective, the associative particle {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} de is inserted between the adjective and the noun. For example, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}Template:Ifsubst style="color:red">{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} gāo xìng Template:Ifsubst style="color:red">de hái zi "happy child". {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is sometimes omitted to reduce repetitiveness (e.g., two or more instances of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} within a sentence); it is also omitted in some establishedTemplate:Citation needed adjective-noun pairs to improve sentence flow (e.g., the TV show {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in China). It is also more typical to omit {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} when a single-syllable adjective is used than for a multi-syllable adjective (e.g., compare {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) with {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}). In general, there are no strict rules regarding when {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} can be omitted; however, some adjectives and adjective-noun pairs are more often seen without the associative particle than others.
Some examples:
- Template:Ruby-zh-p Template:Ruby-zh-p （{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}）— "bad person"
- Template:Ruby-zh-p Template:Ruby-zh-p Template:Ruby-zh-p — "strange person"
- Template:Ruby-zh-p Template:Ruby-zh-p Template:Ruby-zh-p （{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}）— "cute panda"
Predicative (after nouns)
First pattern
Unlike English, subjects and predicate adjectives in a Chinese sentence are not linked by copula but by degree adverbs, such as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} hěn "very," {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} hǎo "highly", {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} zhēn "really," and {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} fēicháng "extraordinarily, extremely." For example, the following sentences express increasing degrees of "beauty":
Template:Fs interlinear Template:Fs interlinear Template:Fs interlinear Template:Fs interlinear
A complementary adverb (e.g. {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} jí le) can also specify the degree of an adjective: Template:Fs interlinear
NB: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} often functions as a dummy linkingTemplate:Citation needed adverb and does not carry the meaning of "very". For example, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is often understood and translated as "She is beautiful".
Besides, in colloquial Chinese the pattern "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" (sǐ le, literally "to death") or "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" is sometimes used in exaggeration to highlight the extent of influence, where AA is an adjective and BB is the thing being affected. Examples include
- "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}} rè = hot) - meaning "It's so hot [to the extent that I cannot bear any more]"
- "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}} è = hungry) - meaning "[I feel] so hungry [to the extent that I cannot bear any more]"
- "{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}" - meaning "I feel so hot [to the extent that I cannot bear any more]"
Second pattern
The linking verb {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} shì (to be) is used with adjectives in the pattern—Noun + {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} + Adj + {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}—to state or emphasize a fact or a perceived fact. For example:
Template:Fs interlinear Template:Fs interlinear Template:Fs interlinear
Since {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is a possessive particle, and the following noun is understood here, more precise translations would be "He is a male one", "That car is a new one", and "That cat is a black one".