Basic comparisons with "bi"

Also known as: 比字句 (bǐzì jù).

One of the most common ways of comparing things in Chinese is to use (bǐ).

Basic Pattern Using 比

You could think of 比 (bǐ) as meaning "than," except that it sits between the two things being compared. The word order will take a little getting used to, but aside from that, the pattern is quite easy.

Structure

To say that one thing is more adjective than another, the structure is:

Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + Adjective

The noun that's placed first is the one that comes out on top in the comparison. So in the sentence:

  • 小李 小张 Xiao Li is taller than Xiao Zhang.

小李 is taller. The same situation could be described as

  • 小张 小李

Examples

  • She is older than me.
  • I'm fatter than you.
  • 美国 英国 The U.S. is bigger than the U.K.
  • 这 条 路 那 条 This road is longer than that road.
  • 纽约 上海 冷。
  • 咖啡 茶 苦。
  • 猪肉 好吃。
  • 伦敦 的 房子 上海 的 贵。
  • 上海 别的 城市 方便。
  • 中文 英语 有意思。

Common Errors

Try not to make these mistakes:

The adjective used in the comparison should be positive, not negative.

  • 不 聪明I than you not smarter. (incorrect)
  • 聪明You are smarter than me. (correct)
  • I am dumber than you. (correct)

比 is not used with 一样. 比 is used when two things are not the same.

  • 一样 聪明I than you the same smart. (incorrect)
  • 一样 聪明I am as smart as you. (correct)

Pattern Using 比 and 更

This one is just a slight upgrade of the basic 比 (bǐ) comparison pattern, adding in 更 (gèng) before the adjective. 更 means "even more," so the idea is that while one thing is already quite [adjective], this other thing is even more [adjective]. Pretty simple!

Structure

Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + 更 + Adjective

The only new thing here is the addition of 更 (gèng) before the adjective.

  • 小李 小张 更 高Xiao Li is even taller than Xiao Zhang.

The implication is that while Xiao Zhang is tall, 小李 is even taller.

Examples

  • 更 大She is even older than me.
  • 更 胖I'm even fatter than you.
  • 美国 英国 更 大The U.S. is even bigger than the U.K.
  • 这 条 路 那 条 更 长This road is even longer than that road.
  • 你 妈妈 更 漂亮。
  • Iphone IPad 更 贵。
  • 中文 法语 更 难。
  • 海南 香港 更 热。
  • 我 现在 以前 更 开心。
  • 我 的 钱 你 的钱 更 多。

See Also

Finally, to express "not as... as," use 没有, and to express "not more... than" use 不比 (the negative cousin of 比).

Check these elementary comparison patterns out as well:

When you're read for more, we also have a good overview of comparisons in Mandarin Chinese which spans all levels.

Sources and further reading

Books

Websites