Difference between revisions of "Superlative "zui""
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* 你 <em>最</em> 瘦 <strong>了</strong> 。 <span class="expl">(This 了 is optional)</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>zuì</em> shòu <strong>le</strong>.</span> <span class="trans">You are the skinniest.</span> | * 你 <em>最</em> 瘦 <strong>了</strong> 。 <span class="expl">(This 了 is optional)</span><span class="pinyin">Nǐ <em>zuì</em> shòu <strong>le</strong>.</span> <span class="trans">You are the skinniest.</span> | ||
| − | * | + | * 四川菜 <em>最</em> 辣 <strong>了</strong> 。 <span class="expl">(This 了 is optional)</span><span class="pinyin">SÌchuān cài <em>zuì</em> là <strong>le</strong>.</span> <span class="trans">Sichuan food is the spiciest.</span> |
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* 我 的 中国 朋友 <em>最</em> 热情 <strong>了</strong> 。 <span class="expl">(This 了 is optional)</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ de Zhōngguó péngyou <em>zuì</em> rèqíng <strong>le</strong>.</span> <span class="trans">My Chinese friend is the most enthusiastic.</span> | * 我 的 中国 朋友 <em>最</em> 热情 <strong>了</strong> 。 <span class="expl">(This 了 is optional)</span><span class="pinyin">Wǒ de Zhōngguó péngyou <em>zuì</em> rèqíng <strong>le</strong>.</span> <span class="trans">My Chinese friend is the most enthusiastic.</span> | ||
* 他 的 学生 <em>最</em> 认真 <strong>了</strong> 。 <span class="expl">(This 了 is optional)</span><span class="pinyin">Tā de xuéshēng <em>zuì</em> rènzhēn <strong>le</strong>.</span> <span class="trans">His student is the most serious.</span> | * 他 的 学生 <em>最</em> 认真 <strong>了</strong> 。 <span class="expl">(This 了 is optional)</span><span class="pinyin">Tā de xuéshēng <em>zuì</em> rènzhēn <strong>le</strong>.</span> <span class="trans">His student is the most serious.</span> | ||
Revision as of 06:31, 25 September 2015
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The most common way to form a superlative (best, worst, biggest, smallest, etc.) in Chinese is to use 最 (zuì) before an adjective.
Contents
最 with Adjectives
Structure
The structure is:
最 + Adj.
And now you have the superlative form of the adjective. Unlike in English, this structure is consistent for all adjectives in Chinese. The inconsistencies in English sometimes confuse beginners, so note in the examples below how to say "best," "worst," "least," and "most" (meaning "greatest number").
Examples
- 哪 个 老师 最 好？ Which teacher is the best?
- 你们 家 谁 最 漂亮 ？ In your family who is the most beautiful?
- Bill Gates 最 有钱 。 Bill Gates is richest.
- 汉语 最 难。 The Chinese language is the most difficult.
- 这 种 事 最 麻烦 。 These kind of things are the most troublesome.
Optional 了
Occasionally you'll also see a 了 (le) added after the adjective. This simply adds emphasis to the "-est."
Structure
最 + Adj. (+ 了)
Examples
- 你 最 瘦 了 。 (This 了 is optional) You are the skinniest.
- 四川菜 最 辣 了 。 (This 了 is optional) Sichuan food is the spiciest.
- 我 的 中国 朋友 最 热情 了 。 (This 了 is optional) My Chinese friend is the most enthusiastic.
- 他 的 学生 最 认真 了 。 (This 了 is optional) His student is the most serious.
- 黄山 的 风景 最 美 了 。 (This 了 is optional) Huang Mountain's landscape is the most beautiful.
最 with Psychological Verbs
最 (zuì) can also come before psychological verbs, to express what one "most likes," "most hates," etc. It won't make sense if you try to use 最 (zuì) with non-psychological verbs, though.
Structure
The structure is:
最 + [Psychological Verb] (+ 了)
Examples
- 老板 最 喜欢 你 了 ！ The boss likes you the best!
- 我 最 怕 蛇 。 I most fear snakes.
- 我 最 想 去 的 地方 是 西班牙 。 The place I most want to go is Spain.
- 谁 最 了解 你？ Who most knows you?
- 她 最 讨厌 抽烟 的 男人 了。 She most hates men that smoke.
See also
- Expressing "excessively" with tai
- Positive adjectives with "-ji le"
- Expressing "rather" with "bijiao"
Sources and further reading
Books
- New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 15-6) →buy
- Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 571-4) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (p. 344) →buy
