Expressing "the more... the more..." with "yue… yue…"

More than just throwing anything you want after two 越s, there are a number of specific patterns you will notice if you want to go beyond using the simpler 越来越.

Used with Only One Subject

Structure

Subj. + 越 + Verb + 越 + Adj.

or

Subj. + 越 + Verb 1 + 越 + Verb 2

Examples

• 他 越 跑 越 快。Tā yuè pǎo yuè kuài.The more he runs, the faster he gets.
• 雨 越 下 越 大。Yǔ yuè xià yuè dà.The more it rains, the heavier the rain gets.
• 我们 越 说 越 高兴。Wǒmen yuè shuō yuè gāoxìng.The more we talk, the happier we are.
• 她 越 想 越 生气。Tā yuè xiǎng yuè shēngqì.The more she thinks about it, the angrier she gets.
• 我 越 看 越 喜欢。Wǒ yuè kàn yuè xǐhuan.The more I look at it, the more I like it.

Used with Two Different Subjects

Structure

Subj. 1 + 越 + Verb，Subj. 2 + 越 + Adj.

or

Subj. 1 + 越 + Verb 1，Subj. 2 + 越 + Verb 2

Examples

• 她 越 说，我 越 生气。Tā yuè shuō, wǒ yuè shēngqì.The more she talks, the angrier I get.
• 你们 越 看 我，我 越 紧张。Nǐmen yuè kàn wǒ, wǒ yuè jǐnzhāng.The more you look at me, the more nervous I am.
• 我 越 走，腿 越 痛。Wǒ yuè zǒu, tuǐ yuè tòng.The more I walk, the more my legs hurt.
• 他 越 问，我 越 不 想 说。Tā yuè wèn, wǒ yuè bù xiǎng shuō.The more he asks, the less I want to talk.
• 你 越 逼 他，他 越 讨厌 你。Nǐ yuè bī tā, tā yuè tǎoyàn nǐ .The more you push him, the more he hates you.

With the Same Verb twice

This pattern is limited to a small number of single-syllable verbs related to sensory perception, but you do hear it used.

Structure

Subj. + 越 + Verb + 越 + 想 + Verb

Examples

• 我 越 看 越 想 看。Wǒ yuè kàn yuè xiǎng kàn.The more I watch it, the more I want to watch.
• 你 会 越 吃 越 想 吃。Nǐ huì yuè chī yuè xiǎng chī.The more you eat it, the more you will want to eat.
• 这 种 花 的 味道 让 人 越 闻 越 想 闻。Zhè zhǒng huā de wèidào ràng rén yuè wén yuè xiǎng wén.The more you smell this kind of flower, the more you want to smell it.
• 不要 给 孩子 喝 这 种 饮料，他们 会 越 喝 越 想 喝。Bùyào gěi háizi hē zhè zhǒng yǐnliào tāmen huì yuè hē yuè xiǎng hē.Don't give this kind of drink to kids. The more they drink it, the more they want to drink it.
• 我 吃 了 这 个 药 以后 总是 想 睡觉，而且 越 睡 越 想 睡。Chī le zhège yào yǐhòu, wǒ zǒngshì hěn xiǎng shuìjiào, érqiě yuè shuì yuè xiǎng shuì.I'm always so sleepy after taking this medicine. And also, the more I sleep, the more l want to sleep.