很

Etymology & Components

The Chinese character 很 (hěn) is composed of two parts: the radical 虍 (yán), which means "dog," and the phonetic component 犬 (quǎn), which is also pronounced "quǎn." The character 很 originally meant "fierce dog," but over time its meaning has evolved to include a wider range of meanings, including "very," "much," and "quite."The radical 虍 (yán) is a pictograph of a dog. The character 犬 (quǎn) is a phonetic component that is used to represent the sound "quǎn." The combination of these two components creates the character 很 (hěn), which is pronounced "hěn" and means "very," "much," or "quite."The character 很 is often used to emphasize the degree of something. For example, the sentence 我很喜欢吃苹果 (wǒ hěn xǐhuan chī píngguǒ) means "I really like to eat apples." The character 很 can also be used to express a strong emotion. For example, the sentence 我很生气 (wǒ hěn shēngqì) means "I am very angry."The character 很 is a versatile character that can be used in a variety of contexts. It is an important character for HSK learners to know, as it is used frequently in everyday speech.