Expressing "compared with" using "gen"

If you want to do a straight-up comparison statement, go ahead and use the classic 比 (bǐ) structure. But if you want to lead with a "compared with..." phrase, you'll need a 跟 (gēn) and a slightly different word order.

Used with Two Subjects

This sentence structure is used for comparing two different things (A and B) or two different aspects of one thing.

Structure

跟 + A + 比 (起来) ，B⋯⋯

B can also come at the beginning of the sentence:

B + 跟 + A + 比 (起来) ，⋯⋯

For both of these structures, you could swap out 跟 (gēn) for 和 (hé) with no real difference, but using 跟 (gēn) is slightly more common.

Examples

• 跟 上海 比 ，我 老家 的 物价 很 低 。Gēn Shànghǎi bǐ, wǒ lǎojiā de wùjià hěn dī.Compared to Shanghai, prices in my hometown are very low.
• 跟 东部 比 ，我 更 喜欢 美国 西部 。Gēn dōngbù bǐ, wǒ gèng xǐhuan Měiguó xībù.Compared to the east, I like the western USA more.
• 跟 他 比 ，你 最大 的 优势 是 什么 ？Gēn tā bǐ, nǐ zuì dà de yōushì shì shénme?Compared to him, what is your biggest advantage?
• 妹妹 跟 姐姐 比起来 有点 害羞 。Mèimei gēn jiějie bǐ qǐlái yǒudiǎn hàixiū.Compared to the older sister, the younger sister is a bit shy.
• 新 版本 跟 旧 版本 比起来 ，多 了 一些 功能 。Xīn bǎnběn gēn jiù bǎnběn bǐ qǐlái, duō le yīxiē gōngnéng.Compared with the old version, the new version has a few more features.

Used with a Single Subject

比 (bǐ) can also be used for comparing one subject over two different time periods.

Structure

跟 + Time + 比 (起来) ，⋯⋯

Again, you could use 和 (hé) instead of 跟 (gēn) here, but using 跟 (gēn) is more common.

Examples

• 跟 去年 比 ，你 的 中文 进步 了 很多 。Gēn qùnián bǐ, nǐ de Zhōngwén jìnbù le hěn duō.Compared to last year, your Chinese has improved a lot.
• 跟 几十 年 前 比起来 ，中国人 的 生活 水平 提高 了 很多 。Gēn jǐ shí nián qián bǐ qǐlái, Zhōngguó rén de shēnghuó shuǐpíng tígāo le hěn duō.Compared to the last few decades, the standard of living for Chinese people has gotten much better.
• 跟 上 半 年 比 ，下 半 年 公司 的 利润 下降 了 。Gēn shàng bàn nián bǐ, xià bàn nián gōngsī de lìrùn xiàjiàng le.Compared to the first half of this year, the company's profits have declined in the second half.
• 跟 前 几 周 比 ，这个 星期 的 天气 舒服 多了 。Gēn qián jǐ zhōu bǐ, zhège xīngqī de tiānqì shūfu duō le.Compared to the past few weeks, the weather has been much more comfortable this week.
• 跟 刚 毕业 的 时候 比起来 ，他 成熟 了 很 多 。Gēn gāng bìyè de shíhou bǐ qǐlái, tā chéngshú le hěn duō.Compared to when he first graduated, he's matured a lot.

See also

• Comparing
• Basic comparisons with "yiyang"
• Basic comparisons with "meiyou"
• Expressing "rather" with "bijiao"
• Expressing "even more" with "geng" or "hai"