Difference between revisions of "Expressing "multiples" with "bei""
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=== Examples === | === Examples === | ||
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| − | *他 现在 的 工资 <strong>比</strong> 两 年 前 <strong>多</strong> 了 三 <em>倍</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā xiànzài de gōngzī <strong>bǐ</strong> liǎng nián qián <strong>duō</strong> le sān <em>bèi</em>.</span><span class="trans">His salary is | + | *他 现在 的 工资 <strong>比</strong> 两 年 前 <strong>多</strong> 了 三 <em>倍</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā xiànzài de gōngzī <strong>bǐ</strong> liǎng nián qián <strong>duō</strong> le sān <em>bèi</em>.</span><span class="trans">His salary is three times higher now than what it was two years ago.</span> |
*中国 人口 <strong>比</strong> 美国 人口 <strong>多</strong> 四 <em>倍</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Zhōngguó rénkǒu <strong>bǐ</strong> Měiguó rénkǒu <strong>duō</strong> sì <em>bèi</em>.</span><span class="trans">China's population is four times bigger than America's.</span> | *中国 人口 <strong>比</strong> 美国 人口 <strong>多</strong> 四 <em>倍</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Zhōngguó rénkǒu <strong>bǐ</strong> Měiguó rénkǒu <strong>duō</strong> sì <em>bèi</em>.</span><span class="trans">China's population is four times bigger than America's.</span> | ||
*他 的 车 <strong>比</strong> 你 的 车 <strong>贵</strong> 十 <em>倍</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā de chē <strong>bǐ</strong> nǐ de chē <strong>guì</strong> shí <em>bèi</em>.</span><span class="trans">His car is ten times more expensive than your car.</span> | *他 的 车 <strong>比</strong> 你 的 车 <strong>贵</strong> 十 <em>倍</em> 。<span class="pinyin">Tā de chē <strong>bǐ</strong> nǐ de chē <strong>guì</strong> shí <em>bèi</em>.</span><span class="trans">His car is ten times more expensive than your car.</span> | ||
Revision as of 08:47, 11 October 2018
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The word 倍 (bèi) is used to express the idea of multiples, as in "3 times as many" or "5 times as much." Its usage can be a little tricky (different from English), so pay close attention to the pattern below.
Contents
Directly Expressing Multiples
Structure
A + 是 + B + 的 + Number + 倍
Examples
- 他 现在 的 工资 是 两 年 前 的 四 倍 。 His current salary is four times what it was two years ago.
- 公司 现在 的 规模 是 十 年 前 的 五 倍 。The company's current scope is five times what it was 10 years ago.
- 今年 的 产量 是 去年 的 两 倍 。This year's output is twice as big as last year.
Expressing "More" with Multiples
This pattern involves an adjective, one of the most common being 多. You'll see other adjectives related to quantity appearing in this pattern as well, such as 大 (big), 贵 (expensive), 高 (tall), 长 (long), etc. In Chinese, it is not common to use the "negative opposite" adjectives in these kinds of comparisons, so you won't normally see the words for small, cheap, short, etc. appearing in this pattern.
Structure
A + 比 + B + Adj. + Number + 倍
Examples
- 他 现在 的 工资 比 两 年 前 多 了 三 倍 。His salary is three times higher now than what it was two years ago.
- 中国 人口 比 美国 人口 多 四 倍 。China's population is four times bigger than America's.
- 他 的 车 比 你 的 车 贵 十 倍 。His car is ten times more expensive than your car.
- 这个 15 岁 的 男孩 比 一般 的 孩子 重 一 倍 。This fifteen-year-old kid weighs double what a normal kid at his age should weigh.
One Confusing "More" Exception
Consider the following examples.
- 我 家 客厅 比 你 家 客厅 大 一 倍 。My house's living room is double the size of your house's living room.
- 你 的 速度 比 我们 快 两 倍 。Your speed is twice as fast as our speed.
One is 多一倍, while the other is 多两倍. Logically speaking, the first should be double (x + 1x), while the second should be triple (x + 2x). In normal spoken Chinese, however, both could be understood to mean "double." So if you ever hear "多两倍," make sure you're clear on whether it's a 2x or a 3x increase.
