Take a moment and think back to the first exchange that appears in just about every textbook created for second language learners of Chinese. In most cases it probably looks a little something like this:
A: 你好吗？
B: 我很好，你呢？
A: nǐ hǎo ma?
B: wǒ hěn hǎo, nǐ ne?
I’m sure there was some part of the opening exchange that also clarified where you were from, and how it was great to meet whomever your were talking to, but for the purpose of this post, the above “dialogue” is the focal point. As good students, we dutifully memorize this simple exchange, with “你好吗” representing “how are you?” and “我很好，你呢” taking on the meaning of: “I’m fine, and you?”
When we start breaking down the characters found in this little exchange, however, something doesn’t quite seem to add up. We discover that “很” (hěn) has a variety of meanings, such as: very; quite; awfully etc. A curious student might then ask the question: “If I just want to say ‘I’m good,’ then why can’t I just say ‘我好'”. I remember asking this question myself a few years ago, and at the time I was content with the answer my teacher gave me, basically, that this is how the language works, “我好” is just not something that people say in this context.
As native speakers of one language or another, I’m sure we’ve all used this explanation before, but in all honesty, simply saying something just is means that we don’t know the answer– because everything in language happens for a reason. So, why the heck do we really say “我很好,” rather than “我好”?
The answer lies in “很”, a word that most of the time plays a role as an adverb. However, in the sentence “我很好” or “I am fine” the “很” loses its original meaning and becomes a function word or a particle, known in Chinese as a 虚词 (xūcí). Very much like the 老 (lǎo) in 老师 (lǎo shī: teacher) the character has become more of a place word than anything else, because not every teacher is old! The function word no longer carries its original meaning, but it is still a necessary part of the word or sentence.
The reason we can’t get rid of the “很” is because “我好” actually creates a sentence with a totally different meaning. Basically, “我好” becomes a comparative sentence, rather than a simple reply. By saying “我好” you are saying that you (as the speaker) are better (either than someone else or better than before), almost as if answering an unspoken question. The same applies to other sentences as well. In Chinese we cannot simply say “他饿” (tā è) to indicate that someone is hungry. We need to add a “很” or a “了” to make the sentence more clear (and grammatically correct). The instances where we would actually say “他饿” are comparative, for example:
A: 你饿还是他饿?
B: 他 (比较）饿
A: nǐ è háishì tā è ? (Are you hunger or is he hungry?)
B: tā (bǐjiào) è (He (is more) hungry)
With that being said, I think beginner textbooks are correct in ignoring the idea of function words, and relying on understanding through translation or context. However, there will come a point when we should all ask ourselves if the answer “that is just how the language works” is good enough. Once it isn’t anymore, we have to seek out the real reason why we can’t simply say “我好” when someone asks us how we are doing.