非常
very; extremely
fēicháng
What does 非常 mean?
非常 (fēicháng) is an intensifying adverb meaning 'very / extremely,' literally 'not ordinary.' It modifies adjectives and emotional/state verbs to mark a stronger degree than 很 (hěn): 这个菜很好吃 ('this dish is tasty') vs. 这个菜非常好吃 ('this dish is extremely tasty'). Two things differ from English 'very.' First, Chinese has a hierarchy of intensifiers — 有点 < 很 < 非常 < 特别 < 太 — and 非常 sits in the upper-middle, stronger than 很 but slightly more measured than the spoken 太...了 pattern. Second, 非常 sounds slightly written/polished compared to the very casual 特别 (tèbié, also 'really / especially'); a Chinese teacher would likely use 非常, while close friends in casual chat might prefer 特别 or simple 很. 非常 cannot directly modify nouns or verbs of action — only adjectives and stative verbs.
Character breakdown
not; non-
ordinary; often
Memory hook: 'Not ordinary' — if it's not ordinary, it must be extreme.
Example sentences
这个电影非常好看。
Zhège diànyǐng fēicháng hǎokàn.
This movie is extremely good.
neutral
我非常喜欢吃饺子。
Wǒ fēicháng xǐhuan chī jiǎozi.
I really love eating dumplings.
spoken
非常感谢您的帮助。
Fēicháng gǎnxiè nín de bāngzhù.
Thank you very much for your help.
polite
今天天气非常热。
Jīntiān tiānqì fēicháng rè.
The weather is extremely hot today.
neutral
学习汉语非常重要。
Xuéxí Hànyǔ fēicháng zhòngyào.
Studying Chinese is extremely important.
neutral
Common phrases with 非常
Hear it in real Fluentide episodes
非常 appears in 1 podcast episode at natural native speed, with full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.
Synonyms
很 is the default intensifier 'very,' but it's so common in Chinese that it often just marks adjectives without strong emphasis. 非常 is a real 'extremely' — use it when you actually mean a stronger degree.
特别 ('especially / really') is more colloquial and warmer than 非常. In speech, 特别好 sounds friendly; 非常好 sounds slightly more formal or polished.
十分 ('fully / very') is a written / formal alternative to 非常 — common in essays, reviews, news. Same intensity, more bookish register.
Don't confuse 非常 with
经常 means 'often / frequently' (frequency), not 'very' (degree). 我经常去 = 'I often go'; 我非常喜欢 = 'I really like.' Different category.
平常 means 'ordinary / usually.' Shares the character 常 with 非常, but the meaning is opposite-ish — 'ordinary' rather than 'extraordinary.'
太 + adjective + 了 ('太好了!') is a spoken exclamation, often emotional. 非常 is more measured. 'Too / so much so' vs. 'extremely.'