Expressing "more and more" with "yuelaiyue"
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Used for
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Keywords
"越 ... 越..." (yuè... yuè...) is used frequently in Chinese to express that some quality or state is increasing with time, or in tune with another factor. There are two forms of this pattern, the "simple" one (using 来), and the more complex one (which uses two different adjectives/verbs).
Contents
Basic Structure with 越来越
This structure expresses that something is becoming more and more adjective over time, with the latter adjective changing with the verb. The most common structure is:
Subject + 越来越 + Adjective
Examples
- 汽油 越 来 越 贵。 Gasoline is getting more and more expensive.
- 美国 的 音乐 越 来 越 流行。American music is getting more and more fashionable.
- 她 的 数学 成绩 越 来 越 好。Her math grade is getting better and better.
Complex Structure with 越 ... 越 ...
This structure can be expanded further by replacing 来 with another verb. This expresses that one change causes another change. To be exact, there are four structures to use. (The examples make it clear how this works.)
越 + Adjective ， 越 + Adjective
Subject + 越 + Adjective ， 越 + Adjective
Examples
- 我 越 忙 越 不耐烦。Oh, the busier I am, the more impatient I am.
- 我 觉得 窗子 越 大 越 好看。
- 钱 越 多 越 好。
- 糖 越 多，这 个 甜品 越 不 好 吃。
越 + Adjective ， 越 + Verb
Subject + 越 + Adjective ， 越 + Verb
Examples
- 你 越 懒，别人 就 越 讨厌 你。
- 我 越 生气，就 越 喜欢 吃 东西。
越 + Verb ， 越 + Verb
Subject + 越 + Verb ， 越 + Verb
Examples
- 我 越 学习 中文，越 觉得 中文 很 难。
- 越 批评 他，他 越 不 好 好 做。
越 + Verb ， 越 + Adjective
Subject + 越 + Verb ， 越 + Adjective
Examples
- 他 越 喝 可乐 越 胖。The more he drinks soda, the fatter he gets.
- 她 越 说 越 生气。The more she talks, the angrier she gets.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 295) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 153-4) →buy
- Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 288-9) →buy
- Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 238-9) →buy
- New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 185) →buy
