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。My friends are the most interesting.
• 你 的 姐姐 最 聪明。Your sister is the cleverest.
• 汉语 最 难。The Chinese language is the most difficult.
• 这 种 事 最 麻烦。These kind of things are the most troublesome.
• 我 的 朋友 最多 。I have the most friends.
• 今天 你 回来 得最晚 。You returned the latest today.
• 昨晚 你 睡 得 最早 。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

• 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.
• 他 的 女朋友 最 漂亮 了。(This 了 is optional)His girlfriend is the most beautiful.
• 你 的 老师 最 好 了。(This 了 is optional)Your teacher is the best.
• 我 的 妈妈 最 年轻 了。(This 了 is optional)My mother is the youngest.
• 你 的 中文 最 差 了。(This 了 is optional)Your Chinese is the worst.
• 我 的 中国 朋友 最 热情了。(This 了 is optional)My Chinese friend is the most enthusiastic.
• 他 的 学生最 认真 了。(This 了 is optional)His student is the most serious.
• 黄山 的 风景 最 美 了。(This 了 is optional)Huang Mountain's landscape is the most beautiful.

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