Basic comparisons with "meiyou"

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Sometimes you may want to make a comparison another way. In that case, use 没有(méiyǒu).

Basic patterns

As well as with , you can also use 没有 (méiyǒu) to make basic comparisons. You could think of 没有 as the opposite of 比 - it works in the same way, but rather than expressing "more... than..." it expresses "not as... as...":

Noun 1 + 没有 + Noun 2 + Adjective

In this structure, the noun that's placed first is less "adjective" than the second noun (hence 没有 being like 比 in reverse). So in the sentence:

  • 小张 没有 小李 高。 Xiao Zhang is not as tall as Xiao Li.

小李 is taller. The same situation could be described as:

  • 小李 没有 小张 矮。 Xiao Li is not as short as Xiao Zhang.

Examples

  • 没有 我 胖。You are not as fat as me. (You do not have my fatness.)
  • 他们 没有 我们 酷。They are not as cool as us. (They do not have the coolness we have.)
  • 这 辆 车 没有 那 辆 快。This car is not as fast as that car. (This car does not have the speed of that other car.)
  • 上海 没有 北京 冷。Shanghai is not as cold as Beijing.
  • 没有 你 聪明。I am not as clever as you.
  • 美国 没有 中国 大。The USA is not as big as China.
  • 这 本 书 没有 那 本 书 有意思。This book is not as interesting as that book.
  • 中国 的 西餐 没有 法国 的 西餐 好吃。The Chinese western style food is not better to eat than French western style food.
  • 学 中文 没有 学 英文 容易。Studying Chinese is not easier than studying English.
  • 住 在 东京 没有 住 在 香港 方便。Living in Tokyo is not more convenient than living in Hong Kong.

See also

Sources and further reading

Books