Superlative "zui"

The most common way to form a superlative (best, worst, fattest, most complex, etc.) in Chinese is to use 最 (zuì) before an adjective.

Basic Structure

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.

Examples

• 他 最 笨。He is the dumbest.
• 你 最 胖。You are the fattest.
• 我 最 矮。I am the shortest.
• 我 的朋友最 有意思。
• 你的姐姐最 聪明。
• 美术课最 好玩。
• 我的老板最 严格。
• 昨天你喝酒喝得最多 。
• 今天你回来得最晚 。
• 昨晚你睡觉睡得最早 。

Optional 了

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

最 + Adjective (+ 了)

Examples

• 他 最 聪明 了。(This 了 is optional)He is the smartest.
• 你 最 瘦 了。(This 了 is optional)You are the skinniest.
• 我 最 高 了。(This 了 is optional)I am the tallest.

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
• Mandarin Chinese: A Functional Reference Grammar (pp. 571-4) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 1 (pp. 344) →buy