萬般 (wàn bān) is an adjective meaning 'all kinds of' or 'countless', emphasizing variety, intensity, or overwhelming abundance—often with emotional or qualitative weight. The character 萬 (wàn) literally means 'ten thousand', serving as a classical hyperbolic quantifier for 'innumerable'; 般 (bān) means 'kind', 'sort', or 'type', derived from its original sense of 'to resemble' or 'category'. Together, they form a fixed literary compound that conveys totality and richness—not just numerical quantity, but diversity and depth.

This phrase appears frequently in formal writing, poetry, idioms, and emotional expressions (e.g., describing feelings, difficulties, or beauties). It often modifies nouns directly or functions predicatively after 是 or in constructions like 萬般無奈 or 萬般滋味. Though grammatically adjectival, it rarely stands alone and usually requires contextual support—such as a noun it modifies or a verb it complements—to convey full meaning. It carries a slightly elevated, traditional register and is uncommon in casual speech.