Superlative "zui"

The most common way to form a superlative (best, worst, biggest, smallest, etc.) in Chinese is to use 最 (zuì) before an adjective (and a few select verbs).

最 with Adjectives

Structure

The structure is:

最 + Adj.

And now you have the superlative form of the adjective. Unlike in English, this structure is consistent for all adjectives in Chinese. The inconsistencies in English sometimes confuse beginners, so note in the examples below how to say "best," "worst," "least," and "most" (meaning "greatest number").

Examples

• 哪 个 老师 最 好？Nǎ ge lǎoshī zuì hǎo? Which teacher is the best?
• 你们 家 谁 最 漂亮？Nīmen jiā shéi zuì piàoliang? In your family who is the most beautiful?
• Zuckerberg 最 有钱。 Zuckerberg zuì yǒuqián. Zuckerberg is the richest.
• 汉语 最 难。 Hànyǔ zuì nán. The Chinese language is the most difficult.
• 这 种 事 最 麻烦。 Zhè zhǒng shì zuì máfan. These kind of things are the most troublesome.

Optional 了

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

Structure

最 + Adj. (+ 了)

Examples

• 小狗 最 可爱 了。This 了 is optionalXiǎogǒu zuì kěài le. The puppy is the cutest.
• 四川菜 最 辣 了。This 了 is optionalSìchuān cài zuì là le. Sichuan food is the spiciest.
• 我 的 中国 朋友 最 热情 了。This 了 is optionalWǒ de Zhōngguó péngyou zuì rèqíng le. My Chinese friend is the most enthusiastic.
• 他 的 学生 最 认真 了。This 了 is optionalTā de xuésheng zuì rènzhēn le. His student is the most serious.
• 黄山 的 风景 最 美 了。 This 了 is optionalHuángshān de fēngjǐng zuì měi le. Huang Mountain's landscape is the most beautiful.

最 with Psychological Verbs

最 (zuì) can also come before psychological verbs, to express what one "most likes," "most hates," etc. It won't make sense if you try to use 最 (zuì) with non-psychological verbs, though.

Structure

The structure is:

最 + [Psychological Verb] + Obj. (+ 了)

Examples

• 老板 最 喜欢 你 了 ！ Lǎobǎn zuì xǐhuan nǐ le! The boss likes you the best!
• 你 最 怕 什么？ Nǐ zuì pà shénme? What do you most fear?
• 我 最 想 去 的 地方 是 西班牙 。 Wǒ zuì xiǎng qù de dìfang shì Xībānyá. The place I most want to go to is Spain.
• 谁 最 了解 你？ Shéi zuì liǎojiě nǐ? Who knows you best?
• 她 最 讨厌 抽烟 的 男人 了。 Tā zuì tǎo yàn chōuyān de nánrén 了. She most hates men that smoke.

Although you could translate it as "like the best," pairing 最 (zuì) with the psychological verb 喜欢 (xǐhuan) is also a great way to talk about one's "favorite."

• 你 最 喜欢 什么 颜色 ？ Nǐ zuì xǐhuan shénme yánsè? What is your favorite color?
• 你 最 喜欢 什么 动物 ？ Nǐ zuì xǐhuan shénme dòngwù? What is your favorite animal?

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 (p. 344) →buy