Emphatic Adverb 可 in Chinese
副词可表示强调
The adverb 可 can emphasize a high or notable degree in a conversational statement. It appears before the predicate and may combine with 了 when the speaker presents the emphasized state as newly relevant. The focus and intonation determine whether 可 sounds emphatic rather than contrastive.
Published August 10, 2026
Reviewed August 10, 2026
01 / PATTERN
See the Structure
MODEL
Subject + 可 + Predicate + （了）
Read the structure
The adverb 可 can emphasize a high or notable degree in a conversational statement. It appears before the predicate and may combine with 了 when the speaker presents the emphasized state as newly relevant. The focus and intonation determine whether 可 sounds emphatic rather than contrastive. Keep the model Subject + 可 + Predicate + （了） visible while you compare each sentence.
这件事可重要了。
This matter is really important.
Choose the right context
Emphasize that a property or situation is notably strong. Place 可 before an adjective or predicate phrase. Use 了 after the predicate when marking a newly relevant state.
他可聪明了。
He is really clever.
Respect the boundary
Do not treat every 可 as an emphatic adverb. Do not put 了 between 可 and its predicate. Do not use 可 to mean possibility in this emphatic frame.
这件事可了重要。
(This matter really-le important.)
Repair the pattern
了 splits the adverb and predicate: 可 precedes the predicate as one adverbial modifier; 了 follows the completed predicate when used. The adverb follows the predicate: Emphatic 可 is preverbal or pre-adjectival, not a sentence-final degree marker.
这件事可重要了。
Use the repaired structure without changing the intended meaning.
02 / MAP
Read the Sentence
Read from left to right and notice the job performed by each part. The labels describe this example; they are not a rule that every Chinese sentence must copy.
这件事可重要了。
This matter is really important.
这
Subject
This part occupies the Subject position in the model pattern.
件
可
This part occupies the 可 position in the model pattern.
事
Predicate
This part occupies the Predicate position in the model pattern.
可
（了）
This part occupies the （了） position in the model pattern.
重要
Subject
This part occupies the Subject position in the model pattern.
了
可
This part occupies the 可 position in the model pattern.
03 / EXAMPLES
Examples You Can Reuse
Keep the structure stable while changing the people, objects, times, or conditions. Pinyin is shown as reading support; use the Chinese sentence and translation to confirm the grammar relationship.
这件事可重要了。
This matter is really important.
他可聪明了。
He is really clever.
今天可冷了。
It is really cold today.
04 / LIMITS
When to Use It — and When Not To
Use it when
- Emphasize that a property or situation is notably strong.
- Place 可 before an adjective or predicate phrase.
- Use 了 after the predicate when marking a newly relevant state.
Do not use it when
- Do not treat every 可 as an emphatic adverb.
- Do not put 了 between 可 and its predicate.
- Do not use 可 to mean possibility in this emphatic frame.
05 / REPAIR
Compare Right and Wrong
Compare the smallest meaningful change. Each explanation identifies a placement, scope, form, or clause relationship instead of treating the whole sentence as one undifferentiated mistake.
这件事可了重要。
这件事可重要了。
了 splits the adverb and predicate
可 precedes the predicate as one adverbial modifier; 了 follows the completed predicate when used.
他聪明可了。
他可聪明了。
The adverb follows the predicate
Emphatic 可 is preverbal or pre-adjectival, not a sentence-final degree marker.
这件事可了重要。
可 precedes the predicate as one adverbial modifier; 了 follows the completed predicate when used.
他聪明可了。
Emphatic 可 is preverbal or pre-adjectival, not a sentence-final degree marker.
06 / PRACTICE
Practice the Grammar Point
Complete three short tasks in order: judge the pattern, repair a common error, and build the sentence. Feedback is fixed and reviewed, so these activities do not use a checker allowance.
1. Judge the sentence
2. Choose the correction
3. Build the sentence
Build a complete sentence with 副词可表示强调.
07 / APPLY
Apply It in Your Sentence
Write one original sentence with 副词可表示强调. Your draft moves to the checker through this browser session, selects this grammar point as the first review focus, and waits for you to submit.
08 / QUESTIONS
Emphatic Adverb 可 Questions
Is 可 always emphatic?
No. 可 also has modal and contrastive uses. This page isolates the spoken degree-emphasis use listed by the official standard. In conversation, speakers use it to mark a striking degree, often with shared knowledge or a contrast that the listener can recognize immediately.
Is 了 required?
No. The official pattern permits sentences with or without 了. When present, 了 contributes a newly relevant or changed-state reading.
09 / SOURCES
Sources and Review Notes
These references support different parts of the lesson. GF0025-2021 supports level placement only; professional grammar works support the explanation, limits, examples, and cross-checks. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement.
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021)
Ministry of Education and State Language Commission · Ministry of Education of the PRC · 2021
Locator: Appendix A, Level 5 item 【五58】, PDF p. 231 (printed p. 225)
Lists adverbial 可 as an emphatic device at Level 5.
Official source汉语副词‘可’字句的语义特征研究
남여명（Nam Ryomyong） · 《한중인문학연구》 · 2022
Locator: 《한중인문학연구》74 (2022), pp. 237–253, abstract
Distinguishes emphatic 可 from non-emphatic uses and analyzes which sentence constituent receives the emphasis.
Official source10 / CONTINUE
Continue with a Connected Rule
Continue learning
很/太/非常/最Basic Degree Adverbs
Build the emphatic use of 可 on the basic inventory of degree adverbs.
Compare
形容词谓语句Adjective Predicate Sentence
Compare 可 emphasizing an adjective with an unmarked adjective predicate.
Easy to confuse
多 / 多么 / 好 / 更 / 十分 / 特别 / 挺 / 有（一）点儿Choosing Common Degree Adverbs
Distinguish emphatic 可 from the degree-question and intensifier family of 多么 and 好.
Continue learning
形容词性短语Adjective Phrases and Their Sentence Roles
Continue from adjective phrase functions to the emphatic adverbial use of 可.
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Build the emphatic use of 可 on the basic inventory of degree adverbs.