<p>It is not 'all adjectives in Chinese are verbs' but 'many adjectives in Chinese can also function as verbs' and most of the time you need a correct verb particle</p>
<p>Examples:</p>
<p><strong>黑</strong>马 - <strong>Black</strong> horse (O)</p>
<p>天<strong>黑</strong>了 - The sky has <strong>darkened</strong> (O)</p>
<p>把墙<strong>黑</strong>了 -  <strong>to darken</strong> the wall (X) - <em>the correct verb is 涂黑(to paint black) or 弄黑 (to make black)</em></p>
<p><strong>瘦</strong>狗 - <strong>thin</strong> dog (O)</p>
<p>這狗<strong>瘦</strong>了 - This dog has <strong>thinned</strong> down (O)</p>
<p><strong>瘦</strong>自己 - to <strong>thin</strong> oneself <strong>down</strong> (X) - <em>the correct verb is 弄瘦 (to make thin)</em></p>
<p><strong>強</strong>人 - <strong>strong</strong> person (O)</p>
<p>這人<strong>強</strong>了 - this man <strong>has grown strong</strong> (O)</p>
<p><strong>強</strong>這攻势 - <strong>strengthen</strong> this attack (X) - <em>the correct verb is 加強 (to strengthen)</em></p>
<p>攻势<strong>弱</strong> - the attack is <strong>weak</strong>  (O)</p>
<p>攻势<strong>弱</strong>下來了 - the attack <strong>has weakened</strong> down (O)</p>
<p><strong>弱</strong>他们的攻势 - <strong>to weaken</strong> their attack (X) - <em>the correct verb is 減弱 (to weaken)</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>那个公共汽车很红 sounds right?</p>
</blockquote>
<ul>
<li><p>红(red) here is still an adjective for the noun 公共汽车 (this bus is very red)</p>
</li>
<li><p>红 (short for 火红 = popular and trendy) could function as a verb with an appropriate verb particle</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Example:</p>
<p>那种公共汽车最近<strong>红</strong>了起來 = Recently, that kind of bus has <strong>become popular and trendy</strong></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-26T23:37:20.697Z
I am wondering if it is a good translation for "this bus is very red". maybe you can also comment in here
https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/42105/22375
wada
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-26T04:39:22.367Z
2020-11-26T08:31:46.387Z
2020-11-26T08:31:46.387Z
Tang Ho
<p>Grammatically, unlike in English, <em><strong>adjectives can be predicate in Chinese</strong></em>. The sentences your friend gave are correct.</p>
<p>Other examples: 她很漂亮。你人真好。etc.  漂亮 and 好 are adjectives.</p>
<p>Besides verbs and adjectives, there are also some other words or phrases can be predicate in Chinese.  English learners should be aware of this difference while learning Chinese language.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-26T06:08:14.513Z
Are you sure 那个公共汽车很红 sounds right?
wada
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-26T06:24:31.363Z
@wada Yes, just like 那苹果很红, 她的皮肤很白，etc.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-26T07:35:11.760Z
I don't think 那个公共汽车很红 semantically make sense, although it is allowed structurally. If I do a google search, 天黑了, 那苹果很红, 她的皮肤很白 give results, but this particular page is the only result by google for 那个公共汽车很红. As others have mentioned, 红 also means popular
wada
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-26T08:04:06.030Z
@wada 那个公共汽车很红 makes sense, no matter 红 means red or popular. It can mean either in that particular sentence.
dan
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-26T06:06:05.610Z
2020-11-26T06:06:05.610Z
dan
<p>A friend told me all adjectives in Chinese are verbs. I am not so sure if it is right in general, especially when it comes to color. I ask him to give me examples and he said<br />
1 天黑了<br />
2 那个公共汽车很红<br />
I think 1 is fine but 2 is not, but I don't how to explain these.<br />
Can someone explain how you interpret the idea that all adjectives in Chinese are verbs and how you can use colors as verbs? thanks</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-27T08:45:11.923Z
"那个公共汽车真红" may be better.
大陸北方網友
<verbs><adjectives>
Does 那个公共汽车很红 sounds right?
# Does 那个公共汽车很红 sounds right?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-11-26)

A friend told me all adjectives in Chinese are verbs. I am not so sure if it is right in general, especially when it comes to color. I ask him to give me examples and he said  
1 天黑了  
2 那个公共汽车很红  
I think 1 is fine but 2 is not, but I don't how to explain these.  
Can someone explain how you interpret the idea that all adjectives in Chinese are verbs and how you can use colors as verbs? thanks

**Tags:** verbs, adjectives

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: "那个公共汽车真红" may be better.  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-11-26. Score: 2

It is not 'all adjectives in Chinese are verbs' but 'many adjectives in Chinese can also function as verbs' and most of the time you need a correct verb particle

Examples:

**黑**马 - **Black** horse (O)

天**黑**了 - The sky has **darkened** (O)

把墙**黑**了 - **to darken** the wall (X) - *the correct verb is 涂黑(to paint black) or 弄黑 (to make black)*

**瘦**狗 - **thin** dog (O)

這狗**瘦**了 - This dog has **thinned** down (O)

**瘦**自己 - to **thin** oneself **down** (X) - *the correct verb is 弄瘦 (to make thin)*

**強**人 - **strong** person (O)

這人**強**了 - this man **has grown strong** (O)

**強**這攻势 - **strengthen** this attack (X) - *the correct verb is 加強 (to strengthen)*

攻势**弱** - the attack is **weak** (O)

攻势**弱**下來了 - the attack **has weakened** down (O)

**弱**他们的攻势 - **to weaken** their attack (X) - *the correct verb is 減弱 (to weaken)*

> 那个公共汽车很红 sounds right?

* 红(red) here is still an adjective for the noun 公共汽车 (this bus is very red)
* 红 (short for 火红 = popular and trendy) could function as a verb with an appropriate verb particle

Example:

那种公共汽车最近**红**了起來 = Recently, that kind of bus has **become popular and trendy**

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: I am wondering if it is a good translation for "this bus is very red". maybe you can also comment in here https://chinese.stackexchange.com/a/42105/22375  

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### Answer by username_3 on 2020-11-26. Score: 0

Grammatically, unlike in English, ***adjectives can be predicate in Chinese***. The sentences your friend gave are correct.

Other examples: 她很漂亮。你人真好。etc. 漂亮 and 好 are adjectives.

Besides verbs and adjectives, there are also some other words or phrases can be predicate in Chinese. English learners should be aware of this difference while learning Chinese language.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Are you sure 那个公共汽车很红 sounds right?  
> **username_3**: @username_0 Yes, just like 那苹果很红, 她的皮肤很白，etc.  
> **username_0**: I don't think 那个公共汽车很红 semantically make sense, although it is allowed structurally. If I do a google search, 天黑了, 那苹果很红, 她的皮肤很白 give results, but this particular page is the only result by google for 那个公共汽车很红. As others have mentioned, 红 also means popular  
> **username_3**: @username_0 那个公共汽车很红 makes sense, no matter 红 means red or popular. It can mean either in that particular sentence.  

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