Basic comparisons with "bu bi"

Structure

To say that something is not more adjective as another, you can use 不比 (bù bǐ). No snickering at the back, please.

Subject + 不比 + Noun + Adjective

This is similar to, but not exactly the same as comparing with 没有.

Examples

小明 不比 小刚聪明。
我 不比 你胖。
我 不比 你翻译得好。

The Difference between 不比 and 没有

不比 and 没有 are not exactly the same. 没有 means "not as... as," whereas 不比 is a direct negation of 比, meaning "not more... than." Compare the following two English sentences:

You're not as smart as me. (没有)
You're not smarter than me. (不比)

You'd probably be more upset to hear the former from a friend than the latter. The two above sentences in Chinese are:

你没有我聪明。 (I am definitely smarter than you; we're not equal in smarts.)
你 不比 我聪明。 (You're no smarter than I am, but we might be equal in smarts.)

Sources and further reading

Books

Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 64) →buy