Category: Chinese Grammar

In Chinese, there are "a lot" of ways to say "a lot." “有的是” (yǒudeshì) is one of those ways. However, we need to be very clear: "有的是" is not the same as "有的+是". Unfortunately, these two phrases are extremely close, but their meanings are not the same at all! "有的是" indicates that the amount or quantity of something is very large, and it can sometimes indicate a mood of exaggeration.

了一点儿(le yīdiǎnr), can be added after an adjective to mean "a little bit too". It is softer in tone than using 太, and so is often used when the speaker doesn't want to insult the listener by speaking too directly.

Adding 什么(shénme) to the end of an adjective (or less frequently a verb) can be used to form a rhetorical question. In the phrase 你急什么？"what are you worried about?", the speaker is implying that there is no need to be worried.

The complement 得很 (dehěn) is used after adjectives to add intensity. It is similar to adding 很 before the adjective，the main difference being that adjective + 得很 is more informal, and adds more emphasis than just 很 + adjective.

得不得了 (de bùdéliǎo) can be used as a complement to suggest a situation is serious, or is likely to result in perhaps terrible consequences. It can be used in a positive sense, like in English when we say "I'm terribly happy".

Both 显得 (xiǎnde) and 看起来 (kànqǐlái) have meanings in English like "to appear to be" or "seems like", but their connotations are pretty different.