100+ Chinese Adverbs To Level Up Your Mandarin

What are Chinese adverbs?

In Chinese, adverbs are called 副词 (fùcí). Like in English, Chinese adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, or even other adverbs. Their role is to indicate when an action occurs, how it is performed, how frequently it happens, or to what extent it takes place.

In Mandarin word order, adverbs usually appear right after the subject but before the main verb.

Read more: Learn Chinese for beginner learners

100+ Chinese adverbs by type

Chinese adverbs are easier to master when you study them in groups. Each type highlights a different aspect of meaning: manner, time, place, frequency, mood, degree, and connective use.

Chinese adverbs of manner

Adverbs of manner (方式副词 – fāngshì fùcí) tell us how an action is performed. They add nuance to verbs and can completely change the tone of a sentence.

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example Sentence
慢慢	màn màn	slowly	他慢慢走回家。 Tā màn màn zǒu huí jiā. He walked home slowly.
快速	kuài sù	quickly	她快速完成了作业。 Tā kuài sù wánchéng le zuòyè. She quickly finished her homework.
认真	rèn zhēn	seriously	请认真听老师讲课。 Qǐng rènzhēn tīng lǎoshī jiǎngkè. Please listen carefully to the teacher.
小心	xiǎo xīn	carefully	小心开车。 Xiǎoxīn kāichē. Drive carefully.
突然	tū rán	suddenly	他突然出现了。 Tā tūrán chūxiàn le. He suddenly appeared.
随便	suí biàn	casually, randomly	他随便回答了一个问题。 Tā suíbiàn huídá le yī gè wèntí. He answered casually.
故意	gù yì	deliberately, on purpose	他故意打破了杯子。 Tā gùyì dǎpò le bēizi. He deliberately broke the cup.
仔细	zǐ xì	carefully, attentively	她仔细检查了答案。 Tā zǐxì jiǎnchá le dá’àn. She checked the answers carefully.
大声	dà shēng	loudly	他大声喊了出来。 Tā dàshēng hǎn le chūlái. He shouted loudly.
悄悄	qiāo qiāo	quietly, secretly	他悄悄离开了房间。 Tā qiāoqiāo líkāi le fángjiān. He quietly left the room.
勇敢地	yǒng gǎn de	bravely	他勇敢地面对挑战。 Tā yǒnggǎn de miànduì tiǎozhàn. He faced the challenge bravely.
顺利地	shùn lì de	smoothly, successfully	活动顺利地结束了。 Huódòng shùnlì de jiéshù le. The event ended smoothly.
激烈地	jī liè de	intensely, fiercely	他们激烈地讨论。 Tāmen jīliè de tǎolùn. They argued fiercely.
平静地	píng jìng de	calmly	她平静地说话。 Tā píngjìng de shuōhuà. She spoke calmly.
开心地	kāi xīn de	happily	孩子们开心地玩耍。 Háizimen kāixīn de wánshuǎ. The children played happily.

Chinese adverbs of time

Adverbs of time (时间副词 shíjiān fùcí) indicate when an action happens. They help you set the timeline of events, whether in the past, present, or future.

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example Sentence
现在	xiàn zài	now	现在开始上课。 Xiànzài kāishǐ shàngkè. Class begins now.
马上	mǎ shàng	immediately	他马上回来。 Tā mǎshàng huílái. He will come back immediately.
已经	yǐ jīng	already	我已经吃过饭了。 Wǒ yǐjīng chī guo fàn le. I already ate.
以前	yǐ qián	before, previously	他以前住在北京。 Tā yǐqián zhù zài Běijīng. He used to live in Beijing.
以后	yǐ hòu	after, later	吃饭以后去散步。 Chīfàn yǐhòu qù sànbù. Take a walk after eating.
曾经	céng jīng	once, in the past	我曾经见过他。 Wǒ céngjīng jiàn guo tā. I once met him.
正在	zhèng zài	currently, in the process	他正在写作业。 Tā zhèngzài xiě zuòyè. He is doing homework right now.
刚刚	gāng gāng	just (a moment ago)	他刚刚离开。 Tā gānggāng líkāi. He just left.
立刻	lì kè	right away	请立刻回答。 Qǐng lìkè huídá. Please answer right away.
暂时	zàn shí	temporarily	我暂时没有工作。 Wǒ zànshí méiyǒu gōngzuò. I’m not working temporarily.
最近	zuì jìn	recently	我最近很忙。 Wǒ zuìjìn hěn máng. I’ve been busy recently.
终于	zhōng yú	finally	他终于到了。 Tā zhōngyú dào le. He finally arrived.
很久	hěn jiǔ	for a long time	我们很久地等待。 Wǒmen hěnjiǔ de děngdài. We waited for a long time.
那时	nà shí	at that time, then	那时我还是学生。 Nàshí wǒ hái shì xuéshēng. At that time, I was still a student.
将来	jiāng lái	in the future	将来我要去中国。 Jiānglái wǒ yào qù Zhōngguó. In the future, I will go to China.

See also:

How to memorize Chinese characters

How to learn Chinese fast

Chinese adverbs of place

Adverbs of place (处所副词 chùsuǒ fùcí) describe where an action takes place. They clarify the location or direction in a sentence.

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example Sentence
这里	zhè lǐ	here	请坐在这里。 Qǐng zuò zài zhèlǐ. Please sit here.
那里	nà lǐ	there	他在那里工作。 Tā zài nàlǐ gōngzuò. He works there.
到处	dào chù	everywhere	花儿到处开放。 Huār dàochù kāifàng. Flowers bloom everywhere.
上面	shàng miàn	above, on top	书在桌子上面。 Shū zài zhuōzi shàngmiàn. The book is on the table.
下面	xià miàn	below, under	猫在桌子下面。 Māo zài zhuōzi xiàmiàn. The cat is under the table.
里面	lǐ miàn	inside	钱包在包里面。 Qiánbāo zài bāo lǐmiàn. The wallet is inside the bag.
外面	wài miàn	outside	他们在外面等。 Tāmen zài wàimiàn děng. They are waiting outside.
前面	qián miàn	in front	商店在前面。 Shāngdiàn zài qiánmiàn. The shop is in front.
后面	hòu miàn	behind	学校在后面。 Xuéxiào zài hòumiàn. The school is behind.
中间	zhōng jiān	in the middle	桌子在房间中间。 Zhuōzi zài fángjiān zhōngjiān. The table is in the middle of the room.
附近	fù jìn	nearby	学校附近有银行。 Xuéxiào fùjìn yǒu yínháng. There is a bank near the school.
对面	duì miàn	opposite	银行在学校对面。 Yínháng zài xuéxiào duìmiàn. The bank is opposite the school.
向前	xiàng qián	forward	请向前走。 Qǐng xiàngqián zǒu. Please walk forward.
向后	xiàng hòu	backward	他向后退了一步。 Tā xiànghòu tuì le yī bù. He took a step backward.

Chinese adverbs of frequency

Talking about habits? Chinese adverbs of frequency tell your listener exactly how often something happens – always, often, or barely ever.

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example Sentence
总是	zǒng shì	always	他总是很早起床。 Tā zǒngshì hěn zǎo qǐchuáng. He always gets up early.
经常	jīng cháng	often	她经常去图书馆。 Tā jīngcháng qù túshūguǎn. She often goes to the library.
常常	cháng cháng	frequently	我们常常一起吃饭。 Wǒmen chángcháng yīqǐ chīfàn. We often eat together.
往往	wǎng wǎng	often, tends to	他往往忘记带钥匙。 Tā wǎngwǎng wàngjì dài yàoshi. He often forgets to bring his keys.
有时	yǒu shí	sometimes	我有时会看电影。 Wǒ yǒushí huì kàn diànyǐng. I sometimes watch movies.
偶尔	ǒu ěr	occasionally	她偶尔去跑步。 Tā ǒu’ěr qù pǎobù. She occasionally goes jogging.
很少	hěn shǎo	seldom	他很少看电视。 Tā hěn shǎo kàn diànshì. He seldom watches TV.
从不	cóng bù	never	我从不喝酒。 Wǒ cóng bù hē jiǔ. I never drink alcohol.
一直	yī zhí	continuously	他一直在工作。 Tā yīzhí zài gōngzuò. He has been working continuously.
不常	bù cháng	not often	我不常出门。 Wǒ bùcháng chūmén. I don’t go out often.
每天	měi tiān	every day	他每天都锻炼。 Tā měitiān dōu duànliàn. He exercises every day.
每周	měi zhōu	every week	我们每周开一次会。 Wǒmen měi zhōu kāi yī cì huì. We have a meeting every week.
每月	měi yuè	every month	她每月去一次上海。 Tā měi yuè qù yī cì Shànghǎi. She goes to Shanghai once a month.
每年	měi nián	every year	他们每年旅行一次。 Tāmen měi nián lǚxíng yī cì. They travel once a year.
再三	zài sān	repeatedly, again and again	他再三强调这件事。 Tā zàisān qiángdiào zhè jiàn shì. He emphasized this matter repeatedly.

Chinese adverbs of mood

Beyond facts, we also express doubt, certainty, surprise, or attitude. Chinese adverbs of mood carry that tone for you. They let your listener feel whether you are confident, hesitant, or simply adding emotion to the statement.

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example Sentence
也许	yě xǔ	perhaps, maybe	他也许会来。 Tā yěxǔ huì lái. He might come.
大概	dà gài	probably, roughly	我大概知道答案。 Wǒ dàgài zhīdào dá’àn. I probably know the answer.
可能	kě néng	possibly, maybe	今天可能下雨。 Jīntiān kěnéng xiàyǔ. It may rain today.
一定	yí dìng	definitely, surely	她一定会成功。 Tā yídìng huì chénggōng. She will definitely succeed.
偏偏	piān piān	unfortunately, contrary to expectations	我劝他别去，他偏偏要去。 Wǒ quàn tā bié qù, tā piānpiān yào qù. I told him not to go, but he insisted.
幸好	xìng hǎo	fortunately	幸好你来了。 Xìnghǎo nǐ lái le. Fortunately, you came.
果然	guǒ rán	as expected	他果然赢了。 Tā guǒrán yíng le. He won, just as expected.
难道	nán dào	could it be that…	难道你不知道吗？ Nándào nǐ bù zhīdào ma? Could it be that you don’t know?
居然	jū rán	unexpectedly	他居然忘了我的生日。 Tā jūrán wàng le wǒ de shēngrì. He unexpectedly forgot my birthday.
偏要	piān yào	insist on	他偏要这么做。 Tā piān yào zhème zuò. He insists on doing it this way.
好像	hǎo xiàng	seem, appear	她好像很高兴。 Tā hǎoxiàng hěn gāoxìng. She seems very happy.
差点	chà diǎn	almost, nearly	我差点迟到了。 Wǒ chàdiǎn chídào le. I was almost late.
果真	guǒ zhēn	indeed, really	他果真说对了。 Tā guǒzhēn shuō duì le. He was indeed correct.
偏生	piān shēng	unfortunately (dialect/less common)	我叫他别说，他偏生说了。 Wǒ jiào tā bié shuō, tā piānshēng shuō le. I told him not to say it, but he said it anyway.
未必	wèi bì	not necessarily	他的话未必是真的。 Tā de huà wèibì shì zhēn de. What he said is not necessarily true.

Chinese adverbs of degree

Sometimes it’s not just about what happens but how much or to what extent. Chinese adverbs of degree add intensity, showing whether something is a little, very, or absolutely extreme. They make your sentences precise and expressive.

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example Sentence
很	hěn	very	他很高兴。 Tā hěn gāoxìng. He is very happy.
非常	fēi cháng	extremely	她非常聪明。 Tā fēicháng cōngmíng. She is extremely smart.
太	tài	too, overly	这件衣服太大了。 Zhè jiàn yīfu tài dà le. This piece of clothing is too big.
特别	tè bié	especially, particularly	我特别喜欢音乐。 Wǒ tèbié xǐhuān yīnyuè. I especially like music.
相当	xiāng dāng	quite, considerably	这道题相当难。 Zhè dào tí xiāngdāng nán. This question is quite difficult.
十分	shí fēn	very, utterly	他十分认真。 Tā shífēn rènzhēn. He is very serious.
极其	jí qí	extremely	天气极其寒冷。 Tiānqì jíqí hánlěng. The weather is extremely cold.
格外	gé wài	especially, particularly	她今天格外高兴。 Tā jīntiān géwài gāoxìng. She is especially happy today.
完全	wán quán	completely	我完全同意。 Wǒ wánquán tóngyì. I completely agree.
特别地	tè bié de	exceptionally	他特别地小心。 Tā tèbié de xiǎoxīn. He was exceptionally careful.
充分	chōng fèn	fully	他充分理解了问题。 Tā chōngfèn lǐjiě le wèntí. He fully understood the problem.
极大地	jí dà de	greatly	这极大地影响了结果。 Zhè jídà de yǐngxiǎng le jiéguǒ. This greatly affected the result.
非常地	fēi cháng de	very, exceedingly	他非常地努力。 Tā fēicháng de nǔlì. He worked very hard.
颇	pō	rather, quite	他颇有经验。 Tā pō yǒu jīngyàn. He is quite experienced.
略微	lüè wēi	slightly	他略微点头。 Tā lüèwēi diǎntóu. He nodded slightly.

Conjunctive adverbs

When sentences need connection, conjunctive adverbs (连接副词 liánjiē fùcí) act as bridges. They link ideas, show contrast, or add cause-and-effect, making your Mandarin flow smoothly like natural speech.

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning	Example Sentence
因此	yīn cǐ	therefore, thus	他生病了，因此没来。 Tā shēngbìng le, yīncǐ méi lái. He was sick, therefore he didn’t come.
所以	suǒ yǐ	so, hence	下雨了，所以我们不去。 Xiàyǔ le, suǒyǐ wǒmen bù qù. It’s raining, so we’re not going.
然而	rán ér	however, yet	他很努力，然而失败了。 Tā hěn nǔlì, rán’ér shībài le. He worked hard, yet failed.
不过	bú guò	however, but	这很贵，不过值得。 Zhè hěn guì, bùguò zhídé. It’s expensive, but worth it.
于是	yú shì	so, then	他迟到了，于是老师很生气。 Tā chídào le, yúshì lǎoshī hěn shēngqì. He was late, so the teacher got angry.
同时	tóng shí	at the same time	他学习，同时也工作。 Tā xuéxí, tóngshí yě gōngzuò. He studies and works at the same time.
而且	ér qiě	moreover, besides	她聪明，而且很努力。 Tā cōngmíng, érqiě hěn nǔlì. She is smart and also hardworking.
不但	bú dàn	not only	他不但会说中文，还会说日文。 Tā bùdàn huì shuō Zhōngwén, hái huì shuō Rìwén. He can speak not only Chinese but also Japanese.
再说	zài shuō	besides, moreover	我不想去，再说太晚了。 Wǒ bù xiǎng qù, zàishuō tài wǎn le. I don’t want to go; besides, it’s too late.
因而	yīn ér	thus, as a result	他很努力，因而成功了。 Tā hěn nǔlì, yīn’ér chénggōng le. He worked hard, thus succeeded.

Notes on using Chinese adverbs

To use Chinese adverbs correctly, placement is just as important as meaning. Word order matters in Mandarin, and the wrong position can make a sentence sound unnatural. Here are two essential rules to remember:

Position rule

The table below summarizes the common positions of major adverb types:

Adverb Type	Common Position	Example
Time	At the beginning of the sentence, or before the verb	昨天他去北京。 Zuótiān tā qù Běijīng. He went to Beijing yesterday.
Frequency	Before the main verb	我经常去图书馆。 Wǒ jīngcháng qù túshūguǎn. I often go to the library.
Place	After the verb, or within a location phrase (在 + place)	他在家学习。 Tā zài jiā xuéxí. He studies at home.
Manner	Before or after the verb	他慢慢地走进房间。 Tā mànmàn de zǒu jìn fángjiān. He slowly walked into the room.
Degree	Before adjectives or verbs	她非常高兴。 Tā fēicháng gāoxìng. She is extremely happy.
Mood	At the beginning, or before the verb	也许他今天不来。 Yěxǔ tā jīntiān bù lái. Maybe he won’t come today.
Conjunctive	At the start or between two clauses to link ideas	他很努力，因此成功了。 Tā hěn nǔlì, yīncǐ chénggōng le. He worked hard; therefore, he succeeded.

Rule of multiple adverbs

When more than one adverb appears, Mandarin follows a fixed sequence:

Time/Frequency → Scope → Degree → Manner/State → Verb/Adjective

For example:

他昨天在家非常认真地学习。

Tā zuótiān zài jiā fēicháng rènzhēn de xuéxí.

He studied very seriously at home yesterday.

See also:

Conclusion

Chinese adverbs may look like small words, but they shape how clear and natural your Mandarin sounds. Once you know how to use them for time, place, mood, and more, your sentences stop sounding flat and start carrying real meaning. Keep them in your active vocabulary, and you’ll feel the difference in daily conversations.

Continue your progress with structured lessons at Gurulango and take your Mandarin to the next level.

FAQs

Do adverbs go before or after the verb in Chinese?

Most Chinese adverbs are placed before the main verb. For example:

我常常去图书馆

Wǒ chángcháng qù túshūguǎn.

I often go to the library.

What’s the difference between 不 (bù) and 没 (méi) as adverbs?

不 (bù) negates present or future actions, habits, or general facts. Example: 我不喝茶 (Wǒ bù hē chá. I don’t drink tea).

没 (méi) negates past actions or completed events. Example: 我昨天没去 (Wǒ zuótiān méi qù. I didn’t go yesterday).

How do you use the particle 地 (de) to form adverbs?

The particle 地 (de) links an adverb to the verb it modifies, similar to “-ly” in English. Structure: Adverb + 地 + Verb. Example: 他认真地学习 (Tā rènzhēn de xuéxí. He studies seriously).

What is ABAB in Chinese?

ABAB is a reduplication pattern where a disyllabic verb or adjective (AB) is repeated (ABAB) to soften tone, show repetition, or create a casual style. Example: 讨论讨论 (tǎolùn tǎolùn), 休息休息 (xiūxi xiūxi).

100+ Chinese Adverbs to Level Up Your Mandarin