Superlative "zui"

T

he most common way to form a superlative (best, worst, thinnest, fattest etc.) in Chinese is to use 最 (zuì).

Basic Form

The structure is:

最 + Adjective

And now you have the superlative form of the adjective. Unlike in English, this structure is consistent for all adjectives in Chinese.

Some examples:

• 他 最 聪明。
• 你 最 胖。
• 我 最 矮。

Optional 了

Occasionally you'll also see a 了 added after the adjective. This just adds emphasis to the "-est."

最 + Adjective + 了

Some examples of that:

• 他 最 聪明 了。
• 你 最 好 了。
• 我 最 漂亮 了。

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