Expressing "more and more" with "yuelaiyue"

越来越 (yuèláiyuè) 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).

Used before an Adjective

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:

Structure

Subj. + 越来越 + Adj. + 了

Examples

• 天气 越来越 冷 了 。Tiānqì yuèláiyuè lěng le.The weather is getting colder and colder.
• 你 女儿 越来越 漂亮 了 。Nǐ nǚér yuèláiyuè piàoliang le.Your daughter is getting more and more beautiful.
• 你 做 的 菜 越来越 好吃 了 。Nǐ zuò de cài yuèláiyuè hǎochī le.The food that you cook is more and more delicious.
• 汽油 越来越 贵 了 。Qìyóu yuèláiyuè guì le.Gasoline is getting more and more expensive.
• 上海 的 房价 越来越 高 了 。Shànghǎi de fángjià yuèláiyuè gāo le.The housing price in Shanghai is getting higher and higher.

Used with Verbs

Structure

Subj. + 越来越 + [Verb Phrase] + 了

Examples

• 我 的 学生 越来越 喜欢 上海 了 。Wǒ de xuéshēng yuèláiyuè xǐhuan Shànghǎi le.My students like Shanghai more and more.
• 我 女儿 越来越 爱 学 英语 了 。Wǒ nǚ'ér yuèláiyuè ài xué Yīngyǔ le.I'm getting more and more homesick.
• 他 越来越 能 吃 辣 了。Tā yuèláiyuè néng chī là le.He's getting better and better at eating spicy food.
• 我 越来越 明白 他 说 的 那些 话 的 意思 了 。Wǒ yuèláiyuè míngbai tā shuō de nàxiē huà de yìsi le.I understand more and more what he meant by saying those words.
• 有 了 孩子 以后，我 越来越 理解 我 的 父母 了。Yǒu le háizi yǐhòu, wǒ yuèláiyuè lǐjiě wǒ de fùmǔ le.After I have my own kid, I understand my parents more and more.

See also

• "Along with…" Using "suizhe"

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
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (p. 340)→buy