Adverbs don’t grab the spotlight, but they’re the ones telling you how, when, and how often something happens. In Chinese, a well-placed adverb turns a flat statement into a real observation. This list gathers around 500 of the most common Chinese adverbs you’ll actually use-not the dusty ones from a textbook appendix.
Every entry gives you a plain meaning and a natural example sentence so you see exactly how the word behaves in a real Chinese sentence. Audio playback is right there in the table-tap to hear the word and give your ears some practice. When you’re ready to take your study offline, use the free PDF download button that sits below the table.
We built this for learners who want a clean reference. No fluff, no grammar lectures-just the practical words that help you sound more like yourself. Whether you’re describing your morning routine or sharing an opinion, these adverbs will add the texture your Chinese has been missing.
Use this list as a starting point, then keep going in the Yak Yacker Chinese section for more words, phrases, and study-friendly reference pages.
Quick Quiz
Think you’ve locked a few of these adverbs into memory? The quick quiz below gives you a friendly nudge-no stress, just a fun way to see which ones stick.
Browse the Full List
| Word | Pinyin | Type | Meaning | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 怪 | guài | Adverb | bewildering/odd/strange/uncanny/devil/monster/to wonder at/to blame/quite/rather | |
| 怪不得 | guàibùde | Adverb | no wonder!/so that's why! | |
| 总 | zǒng | Adverb | general | |
| 总共 | zǒnggòng | Adverb | altogether | |
| 总得 | zǒngděi | Adverb | must/have to/be bound to | |
| 总是 | zǒngshì | Adverb | always | |
| 总算 | zǒngsuàn | Adverb | at long last/finally/on the whole | |
| 恐怕 | kǒngpà | Adverb | fear/to dread/I'm afraid that.../perhaps/maybe | |
| 恰好 | qiàhǎo | Adverb | as it turns out/by lucky coincidence/(of number, time, size etc) just right | |
| 恰恰 | qiàqià | Adverb | exactly/just/precisely | |
| 悄悄 | qiāoqiāo | Adverb | 悄悄|悄悄[qiao1 qiao1] | |
| 悄悄/悄 | qiǎoqiǎo/qiǎo | Adverb | quiet/sad | |
| 愈 | yù | Adverb | the more...(the more...)/to recover/to heal/better | |
| 成天 | chéngtiān | Adverb | (coll.) all day long/all the time | |
| 或多或少 | huòduōhuòshǎo | Adverb | more or less | |
| 或许 | huòxǔ | Adverb | perhaps | |
| 才 | cái | Adverb | ability | |
| 按时 | ànshí | Adverb | on time/before deadline/on schedule | |
| 挺 | tǐng | Adverb | straight/erect/to stick out (a part of the body)/to (physically) straighten up/to support/to withstand/outstanding/(coll.) quite/very/classifier for machine gun | |
| 接下来 | jiēxiàlái | Adverb | to accept/to take/next/following | |
| 接着 | jiēzhe | Adverb | to catch and hold on/to continue/to go on to do sth/to follow/to carry on/then/after that/subsequently/to proceed/to ensue/in turn/in one's turn | |
| 接连 | jiēlián | Adverb | on end/in a row/in succession | |
| 改天 | gǎitiān | Adverb | another day/some other time/to find another day (for appointment etc)/to take a rain check | |
| 故意 | gùyì | Adverb | 故意|故意[gu4 yi4] | |
| 整整 | zhěngzhěng | Adverb | whole/full |
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