Meaning of 多么
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- how (wonderful etc)
- what (a great idea etc)
- however (difficult it may be etc)
- (in interrogative sentences) how (much etc)
- to what extent
How to use 多么
多么 is mostly used in exclamations to stress a quality, often with 啊 (a) at the end. It can also mean "no matter how" in patterns like 不管多么… (bùguǎn duōme…). Example: 这里的风景多么美啊。(Zhèlǐ de fēngjǐng duōme měi a.) How beautiful the scenery here is.
多 (duō) means much or many, and 么 (me) is the same little ending you see in 什么 (shénme) and 怎么 (zěnme). Put them together and you get "how much," which turns into "how very" when you exclaim about something.
Common mistake: Learners often use 多么 for neutral questions like "How tall are you?" In everyday speech people just say 多 (duō), as in 你多高？(Nǐ duō gāo?), because 多么 sounds emotional or written. Also keep 么 in the neutral tone (me), not mā or mó.
多么 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
多 duō · many · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
么 me · interrogative particle · 3 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
Related words
Words that share a character with 多么.
| 什么 | shénme | what?; something; anything |
| 怎么 | zěnme | how?; what? |
| 干什么 | gàn shénme | what are you doing?; what's he up to? |
| 多少 | duōshao | number; amount; somewhat |
| 没什么 | méi shénme | it doesn't matter; it's nothing; never mind; think nothing of it; it's my pleasure; you're |
| 为什么 | wèi shénme | why?; for what reason? |
| 这么 | zhème | so much; this much |
| 那么 | nàme | like that; in that way; to that extent; (before a number) ... or so; about ... |
| 怎么样 | zěnmeyàng | how?; how about? |
| 怎么办 | zěnme bàn | what's to be done |
| 多久 | duōjiǔ | (of time) how long?; (not) a long time |
| 差不多 | chàbuduō | almost; nearly |
Questions about 多么
What does 多么 mean?
多么 (duōme) means "how (wonderful etc); what (a great idea etc)" and is used as a adverb.
How do you write 多么?
多么 is made of 2 characters: 多 (6 strokes), 么 (3 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 多么 an HSK word?
Yes. 多么 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 多么 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 多么 is written 多麼.
What is the difference between 多么 and 多 in exclamations?
Both work, as in 多好啊 or 多么好啊. 多 is more casual and common in speech, while 多么 adds emphasis and sounds a bit more formal or literary.
Can 多么 be used with 真 or 太 in the same sentence?
No. 多么, 真 (zhēn) and 太 (tài) all intensify an adjective, so you pick one. Say 多么漂亮啊 or 真漂亮, not 多么真漂亮.