Expressing comparable degree with "you"

有(yǒu), besides just meaning "to have", can also be used in comparisons. In English, we 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 it is usually used in a question.

One important thing to note is that this 有 has the meaning of expressing a certain nature, characteristic, number or degree. Therefore, it's important to remember to use this grammar pattern with those types of adjectives!

Basic structure

The structure is very straightforward. It simply means "A has B's (adjective)." The meaning is like saying "A is the same (adjective) as B."

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?
• 红酒 有 白酒 好喝 吗？Is red wine as tasty to drink as white wine?
• 你 的 儿子 有 我 的 调皮 吗？Is your son as naughty as mine?
• 你 的 中文 有 John 好 吗？Is your Chinese as good as John's?
• 上海 的 房子 有 纽约 的 贵 吗？Are the apartments in Shanghai as expensive as the ones in New York?
• 你 做 的 饭 有 我 做 的 好吃 吗？Is the food you cooked as delicious as the one I cooked?
• 你 的 衣服 有 我 的 多 吗？Do you have as many clothes as I do?
• 泰国 有 巴厘岛 好玩 吗？Is Thailand as fun as Bali?
• 伦敦 的 人口 有 上海 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.

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 "You are as much tall as your brother", though that sentence is not very standard (and possibly grammatically incorrect).

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?
• 红酒 有 白酒 那么 好喝 吗？Is red wine as good to drink as white wine?
• 你 的 儿子 有 我 的 那么 调皮 吗？Is your son as naughty as mine?
• 你 的 中文 有 John 那么 好 吗？Is your Chinese as good as John's?
• 上海 的 房子 有 纽约 的 那么 贵 吗？Are the apartments in Shanghai just as expensive as in New York?
• 你 做 的 饭 有 我 做 的 那么 好吃 吗？Is your cooked food just as good as mine?
• 你 的 衣服 有 我 的 那么 多 吗？Do you have as much clothes as I do?
• 泰国 有 巴厘岛 那么 好玩 吗？Is Thailand just as fun as Bali?
• 伦敦 的 人口 有 上海 那么 多 吗？Is London's population as much as Shanghai's?

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 妈妈 的 眼睛。You (literally) have your mother's eyes. (Incorrect)
• 你 的 眼睛 有 你 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"
• Basic comparisons with "yiyang"

Sources and further reading

Books

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

• 现代汉语八百词 (p.631) →buy