甚 shén considerably
considerably; very
How to remember 甚: 其 this or that + ⿺𠃊八 bolt of cloth = considerably. For the wedding, Grandma cannot choose between this or that pattern, buys a whole bolt of cloth and walks home with a considerably lighter purse.
Component breakdown
甚 = 其 this or that + ⿺𠃊八 bolt of cloth
- 其 this or that
- ⿺𠃊八 bolt of cloth
For the wedding, Grandma cannot choose between this or that pattern, buys a whole bolt of cloth and walks home with a considerably lighter purse.
How it came to be
The sweet block, a mouth holding something on the tongue, over a second shape for the sound. Tasting past the point of tasting, lingering on it: that is where 'very' and 'too much' come from.
How it is used
- Bound; its main modern home is 甚至 (shènzhì) 'even / to the point that' - 他甚至忘了自己的名字 (tā shènzhì wàng le zìjǐ de míngzi) he even forgot his own name.
- The classical shade 'very/extremely' survives in 甚 as in 不甚了解 (bú shèn liǎojiě) not very familiar with.
- For everyday speech you'll mostly meet it inside 甚至.
Characters built with 甚
Words with 甚
Example sentences
- 她甚至连晚饭都没吃。 Tā shènzhì lián wǎnfàn dōu méi chī.She didn't even have supper.
- 他很激动，甚至连话都说不出来了。 Tā hěn jīdòng, shènzhì lián huà dōu shuō bu chūlái le.He was so excited that he couldn't utter a word.