Expressing "more and more" with "yuelaiyue"

"越 ⋯⋯ 越⋯⋯" (yuè...yuè...) is used frequently in Chinese to express that some quality or state is increasing with time, or in tune with another factor. There are two forms of this pattern, the "simple" one (using 来), and the more complex one (which uses two different adjectives/verbs).

Basic Structure with 越来越

This structure expresses that something is becoming more and more adjective over time, with the latter adjective changing with the verb. The most common structure is:

Subj. + 越来越 + Adj. + 了

Examples

• 汽油 越来越 贵 了。Qìyóu yuèláiyuè guì le.Gasoline is getting more and more expensive.
• 她 的 身体 越来越 好 了。Tā de shēntǐ yuèláiyuè hǎo le.Her health is getting better and better.
• 上海 的 房价 越来越 高 了。Shànghǎi de fángjià yuèláiyuè gāo le.The housing price in Shanghai is getting higher and higher.

Complex Structure with 越 ⋯⋯ 越 ⋯⋯

This structure can be expanded further by replacing 来 with another verb. This expresses that one change causes another change. To be exact, there are four structures to use. (The examples make it clear how this works.)

Structure 1

Subj. + 越 + Adj. 1，越 + Adj. 2

Examples

• 越 早 越 好。 Yuè zǎo yuè hǎo.The earlier, the better.
• 工作 越 多，压力 越 大。Gōngzuò yuè duō, yālì yuè dà.The more the work is, the greater the pressure is.
• 是 不 是 公司 越 大 ，员工 越 多？Shì bu shì gōngsī yuè dà, yuángōng yuè duō?Is it true that the bigger the company is, the more employees they have?

Structure 2

Subj. + 越 + Adj.，越 + Verb

Examples

• 孩子 越 小，越 需要 大人 照顾。Háizi yuè xiǎo, yuè xūyào dàren zhàogu. The younger the child is, the more care they need to be take of by the adults.
• 人 越 老， 越 喜欢 回忆 过去 Rén yuè lǎo, yuè xǐhuan huíyì guòqù. The older people get, the more they like to recall the past.

Structure 3

Subj. + 越 + Verb，越 + Verb

Examples

• 她 越 想 越 怕。Tā yuè xiǎng yuè pà. The more she thought about it, the more she fears.
• 我 越 看 越 喜欢。Wǒ yuè kàn yuè xǐhuan.The more I look at it, the more I like it.
• 我们 越 吃 越 想 吃。Wǒmen yuè chī yuè xiǎng chī.The more we eat, the more we want to eat.
• 她 越 问，我 越 不 想 说。Tā yuè wèn, wǒ yuè bù xiǎng shuō. The more she asks, the more I don't want to tell her.

Structure 4

Subj. + 越 + Verb，越 + Adj.

Examples

• 他 越 喝 越 渴。Tā yuè hē yuè kě.The more he drinks, the thirstier he gets.
• 老板 越 说 越 生气。Lǎobǎn yuè shuō yuè shēngqì.The more the boss talks, the angrier she gets.
• 我 越 想 越 难过。 Wǒ yuè xiǎng yuè nánguò.The more I think about it, the more upset I gets.

Complex Structure with Complement

You can also use "越⋯⋯越⋯⋯" with a complement. In this case, "越" has to follow the "得." This construction usually uses state complements or result complements.

Subj. + Verb 得 + 越⋯⋯，(Verb 得)越 ⋯⋯

Examples

• 买 得 越 多 越 便宜。Mǎi de yuè duō yuè piányi.The more you buy, the cheaper it gets.
• 说 得 越 多 越 流利。Shuō de yuè duō yuè liúlì.The more you speak, the more fluent you will be.
• 吃 得 越 多 越 容易 胖 。Chī de yuè duō yuè róngyì pàng.The more you eat, the easier it is to get fat.

See also

• "Along with…" Using "suizhe"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 295) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 153-4) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 288-9) →buy
• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 238-9) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 185) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (p. 340)→buy