Basic comparisons with "bi"

Basic patterns

Also known as: 比字句 (bǐzì jù).

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

Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + Adjective

This 比 (bǐ) sits between the two things being compared. The noun that's placed first is the one that comes out on top in the comparison. So in the sentence:

小李比小张高。

小李 is taller. The same situation could be described as

小张比小李矮。

Examples

她比我大。
我比你胖。
美国比英国大。
这条路 比 那条 长。

Common Errors

Try not to make these mistakes:

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

我比你 不聪明 。
你比我聪明
我比你笨

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

我比你 一样聪明 。
我跟你 一样聪明 。

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

Sources and further reading

Books

Basic Patterns of Chinese Grammar (pp. 61-3) →buy
Chinese: An Essential Grammar, Second Edition (pp. 53) →buy
New Practical Chinese Reader 2 (新实用汉语课本2) (pp. 65-6) →buy

Websites

East Asia Student: Simple comparisons in Mandarin Chinese