Basic comparisons with "meiyou"

Sometimes you may want to make a comparison another way. In that case, use 没有(méiyǒu).

Basic patterns

As well as with 比, you can also use 没有 (méiyǒu) to make basic comparisons. You could think of 没有 as the opposite of 比 - it works in the same way, but rather than expressing "more... than..." it expresses "not as... as...":

Noun 1 + 没有 + Noun 2 + Adjective

In this structure, the noun that's placed first is less "adjective" than the second noun (hence 没有 being like 比 in reverse). So in the sentence:

• 小张 没有 小李 高。 (Xiao Zhang is not as tall as Xiao Li.)

小李 is taller. The same situation could be described as:

• 小李 没有 小张 矮。 (Xiao Li is not as short as Xiao Zhang.)

Examples

• 你 没有 我 胖。You are not as fat as me. (You do not have my fatness.）
• 他们 没有 我们 酷。They are not as cool as us. (They do not have the coolness we have.)
• 这 辆 车 没有 那 辆 快。This car is not as fast as that car. (This car does not have the speed of that other car.)

See also

• Basic comparisons with "bi"
• Basic comparisons with "bu bi"
• Comparisons with "buru"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 54-5) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 33-4) →buy

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