Basic comparisons with "bi"

Also known as: 比字句 (bǐ zì jù).

One of the most common ways of comparing things in Chinese is to use 比 (bǐ).

Basic Pattern Using 比

You could think of 比 (bǐ) as meaning "than," except that it sits between the two things being compared. The word order will take a little getting used to, but aside from that, the pattern is quite easy.

Structure

To say that one thing is more adjective than another, the structure is:

Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + Adjective

The noun that's placed first is the one that comes out on top in the comparison. So in the sentence:

• 小李 比 小张 高 。Xiǎo Lǐ bǐ Xiǎo Zhāng gāo .Xiao Li is taller than Xiao Zhang.

小李 (Xiǎo lǐ) is taller. The same situation could be described as

• 小张 比 小李 矮 。Xiǎo Zhāng bǐ Xiǎo Lǐ ǎi .Xiao Zhang is smaller than Xiao Li.

Examples

• 她 比 我 大 。Tā bǐ wǒ dà .She is older than me.
• 我 比 你 胖 。Wǒ bǐ nǐ pàng .I'm fatter than you.
• 美国 比 英国 大 。Měiguó bǐ Yīngguó dà .The U.S. is bigger than the U.K.
• 这 个 地方 比 那 个 地方 好 。Zhè gè dìfāng bǐ nàgè dìfāng hǎo .This place is better than that place.
• 纽约 比 上海 冷 。Niǔyuē bǐ Shànghǎi lěng .New York is colder than Shanghai.
• 咖啡 比 茶 苦 。Kāfēi bǐ chá kǔ .Coffee is more bitter than tea.
• 鱼 比 猪肉 好吃 。Yú bǐ zhūròu hào chī .Fish tastes better than pork.
• 伦敦 的 房子 比 上海 的 贵 。Lúndūn de fángzi bǐ Shànghǎi de guì .The apartments in London are more expensive than in Shanghai.
• 上海 比 别 的 城市 方便 。Shànghǎi bǐ bié de chéngshì fāngbiàn .Shanghai is more convenient than other cities.
• 中文 比 英语 有意思 。Zhōngwén bǐ Yīngyǔ yǒuyìsi .Chinese is more interesting than English.

Common Errors

Try not to make these mistakes:

The adjective used in the comparison should be positive, not negative.

• 我 比 你 不 聪明 。I than you not smarter. (incorrect)
• 你 比 我 聪明 。You are smarter than me. (correct)
• 我 比 你 笨 。I am dumber than you. (correct)

比 (bǐ) is not used with 一样 (yīyàng). 比 (bǐ) is used when two things are not the same.

• 我 比 你 一样 聪明 。I than you the same smart. (incorrect)
• 我 跟 你 一样 聪明 。I am as smart as you. (correct)

Pattern Using 比 and 更

This one is just a slight upgrade of the basic 比 (bǐ) comparison pattern, adding in 更 (gèng) before the adjective. 更 (gèng) means "even more," so the idea is that while one thing is already quite [adjective], this other thing is even more [adjective]. Pretty simple!

Structure

Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + 更 + Adjective

The only new thing here is the addition of 更 (gèng) before the adjective.

• 小李 比 小张 更 高 。Xiao Li is even taller than Xiao Zhang.

The implication is that while Xiao Zhang is tall, 小李 (Xiǎo lǐ) is even taller.

Examples

• 她 比 我 更 大 。She is even older than me.
• 我 比 你 更 胖 。I'm even fatter than you.
• 美国 比 英国 更 大 。The U.S. is even bigger than the U.K.
• 这 个 地方 比 那 个 地方 更 好 。This place is even better than that place.
• 你 比 你 妈妈 更 漂亮 。You are prettier than your mom.
• iPhone 比 iPad 更 贵 。iPhone is more expensive than iPad.
• 中文 比 法语 更 难 。Chinese is more difficult than French.
• 海南 比 香港 更 热 。Hainan is hotter than Hong Kong.
• 我 现在 比 以前 更 开心 。I am happier now than before.
• 我 的 钱 比 你 的钱 更 多 。I have more money than you.

See Also

Finally, to express "not as... as," use 没有, and to express "not more... than" use 不比 (the negative cousin of 比).

Check these elementary comparison patterns out as well:

• Basic comparisons with "bu bi"
• Basic comparisons with "meiyou"

When you're read for more, we also have a good overview of comparisons in Mandarin Chinese which spans all levels.

Sources and further reading

Books

• Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 61-3) →buy
• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (p. 53) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 65-6) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 6-8) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 184-5) →buy

Websites

• East Asia Student: Simple comparisons in Mandarin Chinese
• Yale Chinese Usage Dictionary: Usage of 跟 and 比