Adjectives are the color in your Mandarin sentences – without them, everything’s just ‘good’ or ‘not good’. That gets old fast. This list gathers around 1,000 of the most common Chinese adjectives you’ll actually use, from 大 to 漂亮, so you can describe people, food, places, and moods with precision.
Every entry pairs a clear meaning with a natural example sentence, so you see exactly how the adjective behaves in real Chinese – not a lifeless translation. There’s audio playback right in the table, because your ears need practice just as much as your eyes.
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Quick Quiz
Think you can match an adjective to its meaning in a flash? Give the quick quiz below a go – no pressure, just a friendly check.
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| Grammar Word | Pinyin | Function | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 一样 | yīyàng | Other | same/like/equal to/the same as/just like | |
| 一致 | yīzhì | Other | consistent | |
| 一般 | yībān | Other | same/ordinary/so-so/common/general/generally/in general | |
| 上进 | shàngjìn | Other | to make progress/to do better/fig. ambitious to improve oneself/to move forwards | |
| 不便 | bùbiàn | Other | inconvenient/inappropriate/unsuitable/short of cash | |
| 不公 | bùgōng | Other | unjust/unfair | |
| 不凡 | bùfán | Other | out of the ordinary/out of the common run | |
| 不同 | bùtóng | Other | different/distinct/not the same/not alike | |
| 不堪 | bùkān | Other | cannot bear/cannot stand/utterly/extremely | |
| 不安 | bù'ān | Other | unpeaceful/unstable/uneasy/disturbed/restless/worried | |
| 不宜 | bùyí | Other | not suitable/inadvisable/inappropriate | |
| 不少 | bùshǎo | Other | many/a lot/not few | |
| 不平 | bùpíng | Other | uneven/injustice/unfairness/wrong/grievance/indignant/dissatisfied | |
| 不幸 | bùxìng | Other | misfortune/adversity/unfortunate/sad/unfortunately | |
| 不当 | bùdàng | Other | unsuitable | |
| 不得了 | bùdéliǎo | Other | desperately serious/disastrous/extremely/exceedingly | |
| 不得已 | bùdéyǐ | Other | to act against one's will/to have no alternative but to/to have to/to have no choice/must | |
| 不惜 | bùxí | Other | not stint/not spare/not hesitate (to do sth)/not scruple (to do sth) | |
| 不懈 | bùxiè | Other | untiring/unremitting/indefatigable | |
| 不敢当 | bùgǎndāng | Other | lit. I dare not (accept the honor) | |
| 不断 | bùduàn | Adverb | unceasing/uninterrupted/continuous/constant | |
| 不满 | bùmǎn | Other | resentful/discontented/dissatisfied | |
| 不良 | bùliáng | Other | bad/harmful/unhealthy | |
| 不足 | bùzú | Other | insufficient/lacking/deficiency/not enough/inadequate/not worth/cannot/should not | |
| 不错 | bùcuò | Other | correct/right/not bad/pretty good |
