Introduction
太 (tài) means "too" — more than you want. It nearly always comes as a pair with 了 (le) at the end: 太贵了！(Tài guì le!) — Too expensive! That 了 is not the "finished action" 了; here it is simply the second half of a fixed frame.
Overview
Structure: 太 (tài) + Adj. + 了 (le)
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 太 + Adj + 了 | 太贵了！(Tài guì le!) | Too expensive! |
| Subj + 太 + Adj + 了 | 今天太热了。(Jīntiān tài rè le.) | It's far too hot today. |
| 太 + positive Adj + 了 | 太好了！(Tài hǎo le!) | That's great! |
| 太 + Verb of feeling + 了 | 太想你了。(Tài xiǎng nǐ le.) | I miss you so much. |
| 不太 + Adj（the negative） | 不太贵 (bú tài guì) | not very expensive |
太 (tài) is not just a stronger 很 (hěn):
- 很贵 (hěn guì) — expensive. A plain description.
- 有点儿贵 (yǒudiǎnr guì) — a bit too expensive. A mild complaint.
- 太贵了 (tài guì le) — too expensive. Past what you will accept.
- With a positive adjective the complaint flips into enthusiasm: 太好了！(Tài hǎo le!) — Wonderful! 太漂亮了！(Tài piàoliang le!) — So beautiful!
Examples
这个太贵了。
Zhège tài guì le.
This is too expensive.
今天太热了。
Jīntiān tài rè le.
It's far too hot today.
太好了！
Tài hǎo le!
That's great!
你太客气了。
Nǐ tài kèqi le.
You're too kind.
这本书太难了。
Zhè běn shū tài nán le.
This book is too difficult.
我太累了，想休息一下。
Wǒ tài lèi le, xiǎng xiūxi yíxià.
I'm too tired, I want a short break.
Usage Notes
- The 了 (le) here is not the completion 了 of 我吃了 (wǒ chī le). Nothing has been completed; 太……了 is one unit.
- Leaving 了 off is possible but sounds clipped and belongs to writing: 太贵 (tài guì). In speech, keep it.
- 太 (tài) is 4th tone, so 不 (bù) in front of it becomes bú: 不太 is bú tài, never bù tài.
- 不太 (bú tài) — not very — never takes 了. ❌ 不太贵了 (bú tài guì le).
- 太……了 (tài … le) also wraps verbs of feeling and liking: 太喜欢了。(Tài xǐhuan le.) — I absolutely love it.