TongTong
Sign in

多么 (duō me) — (in exclamations) how, what (a); (in concessive clauses) however, no matter how

Definition

多么 (duōme) is a literary ‘how / what (a)’ used in exclamations like 多么美啊! and in 不管/无论…多么… concessives meaning ‘no matter how’. Compare 何等 (more formal/literary) and 哪怕 (the concessive ‘even if’).

adverb
(in exclamations) howwhat (a)(in concessive clauses) howeverno matter how

Examples

  • 多么！
    duō me Měi lì de fēng jǐng a!
    What a beautiful scenery!
  • 多么，。
    Bù guǎn duō me máng, tā dōu huì àn shí chī fàn.
    No matter how busy he is, he always eats on time.
  • 多么？
    Zhè ge wèn tí yǒu duō me nán ne?
    How difficult is this problem?

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

多duōmuch
么mesuffix

多 gives the sense of degree, and 么 adds no concrete meaning, forming 'how' in exclamations.

Characters in this word

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

多 originally showed two pieces of meat placed together; the repeated meat shape gives the sense of many.

Open 多 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 麼; 么 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
幺幺yāosmall, tiny
Sound part声符shēngfú
麻
麻má麼
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 麼 pairs 麻, which gives the sound, with 幺, which means small/tiny; the simplified 么 is a later shorthand.

Open 么 →

Grammar

Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4HSK 2.0 Level 3Comparison & Degree2000 Most Frequent Chinese Words3000 Most Frequent Chinese Words5000 Most Frequent Chinese Words

Browse more HSK 4 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.