Superlative "zui"

Revision as of 09:54, 25 December 2013 by Yucui (talk | contribs)

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

  • 笨。He is the dumbest.
  • 胖。You are the fattest.
  • 矮。I am the shortest.
  • 我 的朋友 有意思。My friends are the most interesting.
  • 你 的 姐姐 聪明。Your sister is the cleverest.
  • 汉语 难。The Chinese language is the most difficult.
  • 这 种 事 麻烦。These kind of thing are the most troublesome.
  • 我 的 朋友 多 。I have the most friends.
  • 今天 你 回来 得晚 。You returned the latest today.
  • 昨晚 你 睡 得早 。You went to bed the earliest last night.

Optional 了

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

最 + Adjective (+ 了)

Examples

  • 聪明 (This 了 is optional)He is the smartest.
  • (This 了 is optional)You are the skinniest.
  • (This 了 is optional)I am the tallest.
  • 他 的 女朋友 漂亮 (This 了 is optional)His girlfriend is the most beautiful.
  • 你 的 老师 (This 了 is optional)Your teacher is the best.
  • 我 的 妈妈 年轻 (This 了 is optional)My mother is the youngest.
  • 你 的 中文 (This 了 is optional)Your Chinese is the worst.
  • 我 的 中国 朋友 热情(This 了 is optional)My Chinese friend is the most enthusiastic.
  • 他 的 学生 认真 (This 了 is optional)His student is the most serious.
  • 黄山 的 风景 (This 了 is optional)Huang Mountain's landscape is the most beautiful.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books