非常
fēicháng
The word that pushes the needle to the end of the dial
The picture A dial whose needle has been pushed to the far right with no room left to travel. 非常 has the needle at the very end; 很 has it up by a single notch.
Where the picture shows up in 非常
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gratitude at the end of the dial
非常感谢您的帮助。
fēi cháng gǎn xiè nín de bāng zhù
Thank you very much for your help.
Receiving a document in both hands, holding it to the chest and bowing deeply
In formal settings this replaces 很.
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importance at the end
这件事非常重要，请不要忘。
zhè jiàn shì fēi cháng zhòng yào, qǐng bú yào wàng
This matter is extremely important — please do not forget.
A red stamp pressed onto the top sheet, that file set apart in the middle of the desk
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busyness at the end
对不起，今天店里非常忙。
duì bu qǐ, jīn tiān diàn lǐ fēi cháng máng
I am sorry, the shop is extremely busy today.
A kitchen window hung with a row of order slips, a wrist wiping sweat off the forehead
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a recovery at the end
手术以后，他恢复得非常好。
shǒu shù yǐ hòu, tā huī fù de fēi cháng hǎo
After the surgery he recovered extremely well.
A patient sitting up and lifting a spoon unaided while the doctor closes the chart
After a verb it comes after 得.
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cleanliness at the end
这里的水非常干净，可以喝。
zhè lǐ de shuǐ fēi cháng gān jìng, kě yǐ hē
The water here is extremely clean, you can drink it.
A glass filled from the tap held up to the sunlight, clear without a speck
All of it in one picture
非常 is a needle pushed to the end. Take gratitude to the end and you have a formal thank-you; take a task to the end and it becomes the one thing you must not forget. Take a shop's busyness to the end and an apology comes first; take a recovery to the end and it becomes reassurance; take clean water to the end and it becomes permission to drink. The characters mean 'not ordinary' — that is why it already sits at the end.