这么 (zhè me) is an adverb meaning 'so' or 'this much/this way', used to emphasize degree, manner, or extent. It combines 这 (zhè), meaning 'this', and 么 (me), a grammatical particle that turns the demonstrative into an intensifier. Unlike standalone demonstratives like 这 (this) or 那 (that), 这么 always modifies an adjective, verb, or adjective-verb phrase — for example, 这么高 (so tall), 这么快 (so fast), or 这么说 (to say it this way). It expresses immediacy and subjective evaluation, often conveying surprise, admiration, complaint, or affection depending on context and tone.

This word frequently appears in spoken Chinese and informal writing. It commonly pairs with 是 (shì) in structures like '这么……是……' ('It’s so… that…'), and with 不 (bù) in rhetorical questions like '这么简单？' ('So simple?'). It never stands alone as a noun or pronoun — it must always modify something else. Learners sometimes mistakenly use it like English 'so' before nouns (e.g., *这么 book), but in Chinese, it only modifies predicates, not nouns directly.