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何等 (hé děng) — (adverb) how, what a (in exclamations, literary register); (pronoun) what kind of (in questions, formal)

Definition

何等 is a formal/literary word: in exclamations it means 'how, what a' like 多么 but more formal and written; in questions it means 'what kind of', similar to 怎样 but more literary.

adverb
howwhat a (in exclamations, literary register)
pronoun
what kind of (in questions, formal)

Examples

  • 何等！
    hé děng Zhuàng lì de jǐng xiàng a!
    What a magnificent sight!
  • 何等？
    Nǐ kě zhī tā hé děng jū xīn?
    Do you know what his intentions are?
  • 何等？
    hé děng Cōng ming de bàn fǎ cái néng jiě jué zhè ge nán tí?
    What kind of clever method can solve this difficult problem?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

何héwhat
等děngkind

Combines 何 meaning what with 等 meaning kind to ask or exclaim about a sort.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

The old form of 何 drew a person carrying something on their shoulder. If the carried thing was a 戈, the 人 and 戈 parts together showed that picture.

Open 何 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
竹竹zhúbamboo
Sound part声符shēngfú
寺
寺sì等děng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The top 竹 shows bamboo strips used for writing and sorting; the bottom 寺 once gave the sound, but now sounds different.

Open 等 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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