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.

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 不过了。He is the smartest.
• 你 最 瘦 了。You are the skinniest.
• 我 最 高 了。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