# 有多



## Seeda

大家好，

有多 isn't listed as a single word in the dictionaries I've checked. However can I use it to render 'how (much)' in this kind of sentences:



> Can you understand how much I love you?
> He doesn't know how difficult it is.



→ 你懂不懂我有多爱你？
他不知道这有多难。

Thanks in advance.


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## fyl

It is 多 that means "how/how much". 多 is the same as 多么 here. I believe 多么 should exist in dictionaries.

The following 4 versions are all correct:
他不知道这多难
他不知道这多么难
他不知道这有多难
他不知道这有多么难
The sentences with 有 sound a bit more natural, I think.

I don't know how to explain 有. My feeling is that it carries some kind of its basic meaning "have".  And here is the explanation from a dictionary: 表达一定的数量或某种程度 (represents some quantity or degree), e.g. 水有三米多深，他有他哥哥那么高了.


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## Skatinginbc

这有多难? 長城有多長? 有多少人? 我有多爱你？==> 有多 is associated with interrogation.
How difficult is it? 这有多难?
He doesn't know how difficult it is 他不知道这有多难 ==> A question 这有多难 is embedded in the statement led by 他不知道.
水有多深 ==> A question (nothing goes in between 有 and 多)
水有三米深 ==> A statement 
水有三米多深 ==> A statement (the 多 'plus' in 水有三米多深 is not identical to the 多 'how much/many' in 水有多深)


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## alexonline

水有三米深 - '_the river has three meters in depth_',where 深 is a noun - it`s absolutely clear.
水多深? - is clear,too, '_the river is how deep?_'
But  the combination of 有 and 多深 in 水*有*多深? doesn`t make sense to me, it`s literally  '_the river has how deep?_'
Maybe it would help more if you guys could show how you literally translate this sentence for yourselves as native speakers.

Thank you.


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## Mamanunique

alexonline said:


> Maybe it would help more if you guys could show how you literally translate this sentence for yourselves as native speakers.


You can't translate every word because the two sentences"这房子有多高？"and "这房子多高？"have the same meaning. The 有 is something you can omit here.
The translation "how tall is the building?" is fine for them.


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## fyl

水有三米深 水有多（么）深 水有这么深 水有那么深 水有多少米深 all have the same structure. (I don't think 深 is a noun.)
水三米深 水多（么）深 水这么深 水那么深 水多少米深 all have the same structure.

If have to tell the difference between the two versions, the first version (with 有) is more like "the lake has reached/achieved ... deep" and the second version (without 有) is more like a plain statement "the lake is ... deep".


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## SuperXW

alexonline said:


> 水有三米深 - '_the river has three meters in depth_',where 深 is a noun - it`s absolutely clear.
> 水多深? - is clear,too, '_the river is how deep?_'
> But  the combination of 有 and 多深 in 水*有*多深? doesn`t make sense to me, it`s literally  '_the river has how deep?_'
> Maybe it would help more if you guys could show how you literally translate this sentence for yourselves as native speakers.


If you treat "how deep" or "depth" as "characteristics", "features", "properties", "attributes" of the subject, it would be easier to understand:
"*The thing* *HAS these characteristics/features/properties/attributes*."
That's why 有 can be added.

More examples:
它多大=它有多大
它身长三米=它身长有三米
它五米高=它有五米高
他五岁了=他有五岁了

It seems only "size/age" belongs to "these characteristics", while other basic features cannot use the same structure.
它是蓝色的, you cannot say 它有蓝色.

Anyway, you cannot expect a word-to-word reflection. For example:
We may not think 深 in 水有三米深 is a noun. You translated it as "in depth", where is "in"?
水多深, you translated it as "the river is how deep", where is "is"?
It's all different in Chinese. So you cannot expect a word-to-word reflection.


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## alexonline

Thanks a lot,everyone for your efforts!

Of course I realize there`re things in a language (mother tongue included) when all you can do is memorize, as there`s no way to explain a phenomenon.Well,that`ll be one more for me 
But at least I know now that both in 水三米深 (_the lake is three meters deep_) and 水有三米深 (_the lake has three meters deep_)  深 is an adjective,not a noun as I thought.

The only thing I`d like to find out, if I can, is what the negatives would be for the two (maybe that will add to the understanding of the problem at hand):
水三米深 -> my version:  水不是三米深，是二米深 (_the river isn`t three meters deep,it`s two meters deep_)
水有三米深 -> my version:  水没有三米深，有二米深 (_the river isn`t three meters deep,it`s two meters deep_)

Thanks very much again.


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## retrogradedwithwind

Funny....

水没有三米深，less deep than three metres 
水不是三米深，not three meters deep, Maybe deeper Maybe not.


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## fyl

alexonline said:


> The only thing I`d like to find out, if I can, is what the negatives would be for the two (maybe that will add to the understanding of the problem at hand):
> 水三米深 -> my version:  水不是三米深，是二米深 (_the river isn`t three meters deep,it`s two meters deep_)
> 水有三米深 -> my version:  水没有三米深，有二米深 (_the river isn`t three meters deep,it`s two meters deep_)


These negatives are right!

And this is a good point. There are some differences between 水不是三米深 (depth is not 3m) and 水没有三米深 (depth < 3m), as said by retrogradedwithwind.
In fact, there are also differences between the original versions, 水三米深 (depth is (roughly) 3m) and 水有三米深 (depth >= 3m, as I said this is like 'the water has reached 3m deep').


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## alexonline

^ Thanks again. I`ve just asked a native the same question and he said that 她有多高? means 'She has how tall height?',but the word 'height' is omitted.Does that make sense at all? Like in 她有多大岁数？ -> 她有多大？('She has how big what? - age')


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## retrogradedwithwind

她有多高   natural 
她有多少高度 a little wired 
她有多少海拔  to me it's right but kind of bantering


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## retrogradedwithwind

There is an increasing trend that some Chinese use 有 as an auxiliary verb such as
她有吃饭啊
她有说会来这里

looks like the English auxiliary verb "have".
some argue that this usage comes from English while some say it comes from the southern dialect 客家话.

Just for your information to say those.


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## alexonline

谢谢大家回复！


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