Upper intermediateAdjectives

有的是 (Yǒudeshì): Plenty Of and More Than Enough

Express abundant money, time, opportunities, or other resources with 有的是, including noun-first topic patterns.

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有的是yǒudeshì

Example

他爸是大老板, 有的是钱。

Tā bà shì dà lǎobǎn, yǒudeshì qián.

His dad is a big boss. He's got plenty of money.

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How to use 有的是

Sentence pattern

Subj. + 有的是 + Noun

有的是 emphasizes that something is available in abundance. Put the resource after the expression, or establish it as the topic and end the comment with 有的是. The construction often reassures someone that supplies or opportunities are plentiful, although it can also sound boastful or exaggerated. It does not state an exact amount.

Treat 有的是 as one emphatic expression in this use. It differs from 有的 meaning some members of a group followed by the verb 是. The latter classifies a subset, while 有的是 stresses plentiful availability. The subject may be a person who possesses the resource or may remain unspoken when the surrounding situation already makes the source clear.

Examples with pinyin and English

他爸是大老板, 有的是钱。

Tā bà shì dà lǎobǎn, yǒudeshì qián.

His dad is a big boss. He's got plenty of money.

她是全职妈妈, 有的是时间。

Tā shì quánzhí māma, yǒudeshì shíjiān.

She's a full-time mother. She's got plenty of time.

我一个大男人, 有的是力气。

Wǒ yī gè dà nánrén, yǒudeshì lìqi.

I'm a big man. I've got plenty of strength.

上海这么大的城市,工作机会有的是。

Shànghǎi zhème dà de chéngshì, gōngzuò jīhuì yǒudeshì.

Shanghai is such a big city. It's got plenty of job opportunities.

What to remember

  • 有的是 emphasizes abundance.
  • The resource can be introduced as the topic.
  • Distinguish it from 有的 + 是.

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有的是

Source and editorial notes

Explanation rewritten for Laowai. Examples are adapted from the Laowai English grammar curriculum, with editorial corrections where needed. 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.