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How to Recognize Adjectives in Chinese Language ?

The adjectives in Chinese language often used to indicate the property and state. In reading process, if the students who study in intensive Mandarin courses in China do not know exactly the meaning of a certain word but can make sure the name is an adjective, they can guess the general meaning of this word according to the property or state it indicates and the words collocates with it. For example, 她家来了一个斯斯文文的姑娘. The word 斯斯文文is difficult for the students to understand. However, according to the noun姑娘and the reduplication, learners can recognize it is an adjective.

From this example, we know that the recognition of adjectives is helpful to guess the words meaning in reading. Therefore, it is important for the learners to recognize the adjectives. First of all, most of them can be modified by the adverbs of degree such as 很、非常、相当、特别、比较、最、太、真、有点、十分、多么and so on. Besides, most adjectives can function as predicate but without objects. For instance, 这个房间宽敞and那件衣服很短.

Generally speaking, when adjectives are used to modify the noun, 的is needed to add in the middle like大书桌,长外套,红太阳and美丽的公园. Students who study in qualified Mandarin program should know some adjectives can used as adverbial but the disyllable and multi-syllable adjectives need 地when they are functioned as adverbial like 愉快地生活.

Some of the adjectives can be functioned as complement like 看清楚and说明白. One point that the foreigners who study Mandarin online should know some adjectives can be reduplicated. The reduplication form of monosyllable adjective is AA的like甜甜的 while that of the disyllable adjectives is AABB like 恭恭敬敬and马马虎虎. In addition, the teachers should remind the students of the disyllable adjectives with suffix like 红扑扑and亮闪闪. After learning the features of forms of adjectives, learners can recognize the adjectives in reading. 

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