How to Say “That is interesting” in Chinese
Small talk and travel · HSK 3
"That is interesting" in Chinese is 挺有意思的 (Tǐng yǒu yì si de). 有意思 (yǒu yì si) is the go-to word for 'interesting' in spoken Mandarin; much more natural than the textbook 有趣 (yǒu qù), which sounds slightly bookish. Note 意思 here is neutral-toned (yì si), not yì sī.
Primary translation
挺有意思的
Tǐng yǒu yì si de
Variants by register
Formal
这很有意思
Zhè hěn yǒu yì si
Casual
挺有意思的
Tǐng yǒu yì si de
When to use it
有意思 (yǒu yì si) is the go-to word for 'interesting' in spoken Mandarin; much more natural than the textbook 有趣 (yǒu qù), which sounds slightly bookish. Note 意思 here is neutral-toned (yì si), not yì sī. The pattern 挺⋯的 is a Beijing-flavored softener meaning 'pretty/quite'; Taiwanese speakers often say 蛮有意思的 (mán) instead. Warning: 有意思 can also hint at romantic interest; 他对你有意思 means 'he's into you.'
Example sentences
这个故事挺有意思的。
Zhè ge gù shi tǐng yǒu yì si de.
This story is pretty interesting.
你的想法很有意思，我从来没想过。
Nǐ de xiǎng fǎ hěn yǒu yì si, wǒ cóng lái méi xiǎng guo.
Your idea is really interesting; I never thought of that.
这本书越看越有意思。
Zhè běn shū yuè kàn yuè yǒu yì si.
The more I read this book, the more interesting it gets.