Expressing "more and more" with "yuelaiyue"
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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.)
Structure1
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。I think that the bigger the window, the better it looks.
- 钱 越 多 越 好。The more money, the better.
- 糖 越 多，这 个 甜品 越 不 好 吃。The more sugar in this dessert, the worse it tastes.
Structure2
Subject + 越 + Adjective ， 越 + Verb
Examples
- 你 越 懒，别人 就 越 讨厌 你。The lazier you are, the more other people will hate you.
- 我 越 生气，就 越 喜欢 吃 东西。The angrier I am, the more I like to eat.
Structure3
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。
Structure4
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.
Complex Structure with Complement
"越...越..."结构如果和补语结构一起用，那么“越”一定是放在“得”的后面。Usually used with "State complement" and "Result complement".
Subject + Verb 得 +越..., (Verb 得)越 ...
Examples
- 你 买 得 越 多 越 便宜。
- 你 说 得 越 慢，可能 我们 听 得 越 清楚。
- 碳水化合物 吃 得 越 多 越 容易 胖。
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
