Expressing "age difference" with "da and xiao"

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如果你有兄弟姐妹,中国人常常会问你"他(她)比你小几岁" or "他(她)比你大几岁 "。注意,这里一定不能不用"年轻"或者"老"。

Structure

A + 比 + B + 大 / 小 + Number + 岁

Note that 岁 is used here, instead of 年, to mean "year old."

Examples

  • 我 姐姐 Wǒ jiějie liǎng suì.My sister is two years older than me.
  • 你 哥哥 nǐ gēge xiǎosuì? How much younger are you than your elder brother?
  • 他 女朋友 Tā nǚpéngyou shí suì.His girlfriend is 10 years older than him.
  • 我 老板 很 年轻,只 三 四 Wǒ lǎobǎn hěn niánqīng, zhǐ sān sì suì.My boss is very young. He is only three or four years older than me.

If you just wonder which is elder or younger, these example sentences will be helpful:

  • 你俩 谁 Nǐ liǎ shéi  ?Who is elder between you two?
  • 你 爸爸 和 你 妈妈 谁 Nǐ bàba hé nǐ māma shéi ?Who is the elder one, your dad or your mom?
  • 你们 五 个 人 里 谁 最 Nǐmen wǔ gè rén lǐ shéi zuì xiǎo?Who is the youngest among the five of you?

But if you're talking about being the same age, use this structure instead.

A + 和 / 跟 + B + 一样 / 差不多 + 大

A few examples:

  • 他 女朋友 他 女儿 一样 Tā nǚpéngyou tā nǚ'ér yīyàng .His girlfriend is about the same age with his daughter.
  • 我 爸爸 妈妈 差不多 Wǒ bàba māma chàbuduō .My dad is about the same age with my mom.
  • 我们 公司 大部分 的 员工 都 我 差不多 Wǒmen gōngsī dà bùfen de yuángōng dōu gēn wǒ chàbuduō .Most of the employees in our company are about the same age with me.

Multiple Ways of Asking about Age

询问孩子、朋友、老人的年龄的说法,在汉语里也有一定的讲究。譬如,问小孩子(十岁以下)可以说“你几岁了”,或者“你今年多大了”。问同龄人,如果是比较熟悉的朋友,通常问“你是哪年的”,不太熟的话可以问“你今年多大”。中年人,特别是中年的女性,我们一般不问。对较为年长的人,看起来六十岁以上的话,可以问“您多大年纪了”。

See also

Sources and further reading

Books

HSK4