非常

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word 非常 (fēicháng) is composed of two characters: 非 (fēi) and 常 (cháng). 非 means "not" or "un-", while 常 means "normal" or "usual". Together, they form the compound word 非常, which literally means "not normal" or "unusual". In modern Chinese, 非常 is used to express a variety of meanings, including "very", "extremely", "exceptionally", and "unusually". It can be used to modify adjectives, verbs, and adverbs to indicate a high degree of intensity or importance. For example, 非常高兴 (fēicháng gāoxìng) means "very happy", 非常重要 (fēicháng zhòngyào) means "extremely important", and 非常快 (fēicháng kuài) means "exceptionally fast". 非常 can also be used to express surprise or exclamation. For example, 非常棒! (fēicháng bàng!) means "That's great!" or "Awesome!", and 非常感谢! (fēicháng gǎnxiè!) means "Thank you very much!"