Expressing "much more" in comparisons

If you want to up the intensity of your comparisons, you might want to express "much more." You can do this using 多 (duō), but did you know there are actually three different ways to do it?

"Much More" with 多

Structure

As well as expressing that two things differ, you might want to go further and say that they differ a lot by adding 很多 (hěn duō), 多了(duō le), or 得多 (de duō). This is like saying that one thing is much more Adj. than another in English.

Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + Adj. + 很多 / 多了 / 得多

Examples

  • 拼音 汉字 容易 很多Pīnyīn Hànzì róngyì hěn duō.Pinyin is much easier than Chinese characters.
  • 坐 高铁 坐 飞机 方便 很多Zuò gāotiě zuò fēijī fāngbiàn hěn duō.It's much more convenient to take the high-speed train than the airplane.
  • 他 打 篮球 我 厉害 多 了Tā dǎ lánqiú wǒ lìhai duō le.He plays basketball much better than I do.
  • 这 个 老师 那个 老师 严格 得 多Zhè gè lǎoshī nàge lǎoshī yángé de duō.This teacher is much more strict than that teacher.
  • 我 感觉 今天 昨天 好 多 了Wǒ gǎnjué jīntiān zuótiān hǎo duō le.I feel much better today than yesterday.

"Even More" with 更 or 还

When used in a comparison, 还 expresses an even higher degree of the adjective.

Structure

Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + 更 / 还 + Adj.

Examples

  • 姚明 高 。 YáoMíng hái gāo.He is even taller than Yao Ming.
  • 老板 忙 ? lǎobǎn hái máng?You're even busier than the boss?
  • 她 妈妈 年轻 。Tā māma hái niánqīng.Her mother is even younger than her.
  • 昨天 38 度 ,今天 昨天 热 。Zuótiān sān shí bā dù, jīntiān zuótiān hái rè.It was 38 degrees yesterday, and it's even hotter today.
  • 上海 的 人口 北京 多 。Shànghǎi de rénkǒu Běijīng hái duō.The population of Shanghai is even bigger than Beijing.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

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