Difference between revisions of "Superlative "zui""
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| − | * | + | * 哪 个 老师 <em>最</em> 好？ <span class="pinyin">Nǎ ge lǎshī <em>zuì</em>hǎo? </span> <span class="trans">Which teacher is the best?</span> |
| − | + | * 你们 家 谁 <em>最</em> 漂亮 ？<span class="pinyin">nīmen jiā shéi <em>zuì</em> piàoliang?</span> <span class="trans">In your family who is the most beautiful?</span> | |
| − | + | * Bill Gates <em>最</em> 有钱 。 <span class="pinyin">Bill Gates <em>zuì</em> yǒuqián.</span> <span class="trans"> Bill Gates is richest.</span> | |
| − | * | + | * 汉语 <em>最</em> 难。 <span class="pinyin">Hànyǔ <em>zuì</em> nán.</span> <span class="trans">The Chinese language is the most difficult.</span> |
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| − | * | ||
| − | * 汉语 <em>最</em> | ||
* 这 种 事 <em>最</em> 麻烦 。 <span class="pinyin">Zhè zhǒng shì <em>zuì</em> máfan.</span> <span class="trans">These kind of things are the most troublesome.</span> | * 这 种 事 <em>最</em> 麻烦 。 <span class="pinyin">Zhè zhǒng shì <em>zuì</em> máfan.</span> <span class="trans">These kind of things are the most troublesome.</span> | ||
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Revision as of 06:20, 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
- 他 最 聪明 了 。 (This 了 is optional) He is the smartest.
- 你 最 瘦 了 。 (This 了 is optional) You are the skinniest.
- 我 最 高 了 。 (This 了 is optional) I am the tallest.
- 他 的 女朋友 最 漂亮 了 。 (This 了 is optional) His girlfriend is the most beautiful.
- 你 的 老师 最 好 了 。 (This 了 is optional) Your teacher is the best.
- 我 的 妈妈 最 年轻 了 。 (This 了 is optional) My mother is the youngest.
- 你 的 中文 最 差 了 。 (This 了 is optional) Your Chinese is the worst.
- 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
- 我 最 喜欢 你 了 ！ I like you the best!
- 她 最 讨厌 抽烟 的 男人 。 She most hates men that smoke.
- 他 最 想 去 的 地方 是 日本 。 The place I most want to go is Japan.
- 我 最 怕 猫 。 I most fear cats.
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
