Expressing "compared with" using "gen"
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Level
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Similar to
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Used for
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Keywords
If you want to do a straight-up comparison statement, go ahead and use the classic 比 (bǐ) structure. But if you want to lead with a "compared with..." phrase, you'll need a 跟 (gēn) and a slightly different word order.
Contents
Used with Two Subjects
This sentence structure is used for comparing two different things (A and B) or two different aspects of one thing.
Structure
跟 + A + 比 (起来) ，B⋯⋯
B can also come at the beginning of the sentence:
B + 跟 + A + 比 (起来) ，⋯⋯
For both of these structures, you could swap out 跟 (gēn) for 和 (hé) with no real difference, but using 跟 (gēn) is slightly more common.
Examples
- 跟 上海 比 ，我 老家 的 物价 很 低 。Compared to Shanghai, prices in my hometown are very low.
- 跟 东部 比 ，我 更 喜欢 美国 西部 。Compared to the east, I like the western USA more.
- 跟 他 比 ，你 最大 的 优势 是 什么 ？Compared to him, what is your biggest advantage?
- 妹妹 跟 姐姐 比起来 有点 害羞 。Compared to the older sister, the younger sister is a bit shy.
- 新 版本 跟 旧 版本 比起来 ，多 了 一些 功能 。Compared with the old version, the new version has a few more features.
Used with a Single Subject
比 (bǐ) can also be used for comparing one subject over two different time periods.
Structure
跟 + Time + 比 (起来) ，⋯⋯
Examples
- 跟 去年 比 ，你 的 中文 进步 了 很多 。Compared to last year, your Chinese has improved a lot.
- 跟 几十 年 前 比起来 ，中国人 的 生活 水平 提高 了 很多 。Compared to the last few decades, the standard of living for Chinese people has gotten much better.
- 跟 上 半 年 比 ，下 半 年 公司 的 利润 下降 了 。Compared to the first half of this year, the company's profits have declined in the second half.
- 跟 前 几 周 比 ，这个 星期 的 天气 舒服 多了 。Compared to the past few weeks, the weather has been much more comfortable this week.
- 跟 刚 毕业 的 时候 比起来 ，他 成熟 了 很 多 。Compared to when he first graduated, he's matured a lot.
See also
- Comparing
- Basic comparisons with "yiyang"
- Basic comparisons with "meiyou"
- Expressing "rather" with "bijiao"
- Expressing "even more" with "geng" or "hai"
