How to use 很是
Subject + 很是 + adjective / suitable mental predicate
很是 strengthens a description in a somewhat literary or deliberate style. It commonly appears before longer adjectives and expressions of satisfaction, admiration, discomfort, or liking. The extra 是 belongs to the degree expression rather than functioning as the ordinary verb that links a subject to a noun. The meaning is often close to very or really, with a more marked stylistic effect.
Place 很是 directly before a compatible predicate. Some established expressions with 会 or 能 also occur when emphasizing skill or capacity, but the pattern does not extend naturally to every modal verb. In casual conversation, simpler 很 or 真 may be more ordinary. Choose 很是 when the fuller emphasis suits the sentence's voice.
Examples with pinyin and English
听到这个消息，她很是高兴。
She was very pleased to hear the news.
很是 intensifies an emotional description.
这幅画的颜色很是特别。
The colors in this painting are quite distinctive.
很是 gives the adjective a deliberate, emphatic tone.
我很是佩服他的耐心。
I really admire his patience.
很是 can modify a compatible mental predicate.
What to remember
- Treat 很是 as a degree expression.
- Use it with naturally compatible descriptions and feelings.
- Do not extend its modal-verb combinations indiscriminately.
Practise the pattern
Use one example as a model. Change the people, objects or situation, keeping the grammar pattern in the same order. Read the explanation again to check how your sentence uses the construction.
Look up the grammar words
Source and editorial notes
Explanation and examples written for Laowai using the grammar curriculum as a topic reference. The original curriculum credits AllSet Learning’s Chinese Grammar Wiki as used with permission. Read the retained source credits.
Difficulty labels describe the level of the explanation; they are not official HSK placement. Send a correction with this page’s URL.