多么
how (in exclamations)
duōme
What does 多么 mean?
多么 (duōme) is an adverb of degree used in exclamations to mean 'how...!' or 'so...!' It always precedes an adjective or stative verb and is normally paired with the sentence-final particle 啊 (a) — 多么漂亮啊! ('how beautiful!').
Unlike English 'how,' 多么 is purely exclamatory: it cannot ask the question 'how big is it?' (that uses 多 or 多大 instead). It expresses the speaker's emotional reaction — admiration, surprise, regret — rather than asking for information. In everyday spoken Chinese, people often drop the 么 and just say 多, or use 真 / 太...了 for the same effect; 多么 feels a little more elevated, the kind of phrasing you find in a teacher's speech, an essay, or a heartfelt toast.
Note: Slightly literary in flavor — common in writing, speeches, and emphatic spoken language. In casual speech, native speakers more often use 多
Character breakdown
many; much; how (degree)
suffix forming adverbs/pronouns
Memory hook: Think of 多么 as 'how-much-ness' — the speaker is overflowing with feeling about the degree of something.
Example sentences
今天的天气多么好啊！
Jīntiān de tiānqì duōme hǎo a!
What lovely weather we have today!
neutral
你看，这个孩子多么可爱！
Nǐ kàn, zhège háizi duōme kě'ài!
Look, how cute this kid is!
spoken
我多么希望能再见到他。
Wǒ duōme xīwàng néng zài jiàn dào tā.
How I wish I could see him again.
written
学好中文是一件多么重要的事。
Xué hǎo Zhōngwén shì yí jiàn duōme zhòngyào de shì.
Learning Chinese well is such an important thing.
written
你不知道我多么想你。
Nǐ bù zhīdào wǒ duōme xiǎng nǐ.
You don't know how much I miss you.
spoken
Common phrases with 多么
Synonyms
多 is the shorter, more colloquial version in exclamations — 你看他多高! ('look how tall he is!'). 多么 sounds a bit more formal or emphatic and is more common in writing.
Don't confuse 多么 with
多少 is a question word ('how many / how much') asking for a number. 多么 is an exclamation ('how...!') expressing feeling. 多少钱? = 'how much money?'; 多么贵啊! = 'how expensive!'
FAQ
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