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 one thing as it relates to another.

Structure

These patterns are for making a comment about B, as it relates to A.

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 eastern USA, 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 十 年 前 比 起来 ，中国人 的 生活 水平 提高 了 很多 。Gēn shí nián qián bǐ qǐlái, Zhōngguó rén de shēnghuó shuǐpíng tígāo le hěn duō.Compared to ten years ago, the standard of living for Chinese people has gotten much better.
• 跟 上个 月 比 ，这 个 月 的 工作 很 轻松。Gēn shàngge yuè bǐ, zhège yuè de gōngzuò hěn qīngsōng.Compared with last month, this month our work is a lot more relaxed.
• 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 much more mature.

See also

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

Sources and further reading

Books

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