Expressing comparable degree with "you"

有(yǒu) is also used for comparing and usually used in questions. In English, we sometimes can sometimes say "She has her mother's cuteness" or "I have my father's height", though they sound a bit awkward.In Chinese, however, it's pretty common.You can use 有 to express degree in a simple statement, though more often than not it is used in a question.

Structure

The structure is very straightforward. It simply means

A 有 B + Adjective + 吗？

Examples

• 他 有 我 帅 吗？Is he as handsome as me?
• 她 有 我 可爱 吗？Is she as cute as me?
• 伦敦 的 人口 有 上海 多 吗？Is London's population as much as Shanghai's?

Structure with 那么

This form is often used with 那么, which in this case means "as much". This is sort of like saying "

A 有 B + 那么 + Adjective + 吗？

Examples

• 他 有 我 那么 帅 吗？Is he as handsome as me?
• 她 有 我 那么 可爱 吗？Is she as cute as me?
• 伦敦 的 人口 有 上海 那么 多 吗？Is London's population as much as Shanghai's?

Notice that all these example sentences are questions. Typically this form is used in questions, although they can be used in simple statements, like:

• 他 有 我 高。He is as tall as me.

Make sure that you use an adjective with this form. In English we may say something like "You have your mother's eyes", but you cannot say that in Chinese.

• 你 有 你 的 妈妈 的 眼睛。
• 你 的 眼睛 有 你 的 妈妈 的 眼睛 那么 大。
Your eyes are as big as your mother's eyes.

The negative form of this grammar pattern is with 没有.

See also

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

Sources and further reading

Books

• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 33-4) →buy