Expressing "more and more" with "yuelaiyue"

"越 ... 越..." (yuè... yuè...) is used frequently in Chinese to express that some quality or state is increasing with time, or in tune with another factor. There are two forms of this pattern, the "simple" one (using 来), and the more complex one (which uses two different adjectives/verbs).

Basic Structure with 越来越

This structure expresses that something is becoming more and more adjective over time, with the latter adjective changing with the verb. The most common structure is:

Subj. + 越来越 + Adj.+ 了

Examples

• 汽油 越 来 越 贵 了。 . Gasoline is getting more and more expensive.
• 北京 的 空气 质量越 来 越 差 了。 . The air quality of Beijing is getting worse and more worse.
• 她 的 身体 越 来 越 好 了。 .Her health is getting better and better.

Complex Structure with 越 ... 越 ...

This structure can be expanded further by replacing 来 with another verb. This expresses that one change causes another change. To be exact, there are four structures to use. (The examples make it clear how this works.)

Structure 1

Subj. + 越 + Adj. 1，越 + Adj. 2

Examples

• 挑战 越 大，我 越 兴奋。 .The bigger the challenge is, the more excited I am.
• 我 觉得 窗子 越 大 ， 光线 越 好。 .I think that the bigger the window is, the better the natural light is.
• 工作 越 复杂 越 有趣 。 .The more complex the work is, the more interesting it is.
• 这 个 菜 越 甜 越 不 好吃 。 .The sweeter this dish is, the worse it tastes.

Structure 2

Subj. + 越 + Adj. ， 越 + Verb

Examples

• 你 越 小气，别人 就 越 讨厌 你。 .The meaner you are, the more other people will hate you.
• 她 越 不高兴，就 越 不说话。 .The more upset , the less she talks.
• 你 越 ，我 就 越 . .

Structure 3

Subj. + 越 + Verb ， 越 + Verb

Examples

• 我 越 学习 中文，越 觉得 中文 很 难。 .The more I study Chinese, the more difficult I think it is.
• 越 批评 他，他 越 做 不 好。 .The more he gets criticized, the worse he works.

Structure 4

Subj. + 越 + Verb ， 越 + Adj.

Examples

• 他 越 喝 越 渴。 .The more he drinks soda, the fatter he gets.
• 她 越 说 越 生气。 .The more she talks, the angrier she gets.

Complex Structure with Complement

You can also use "越...越..." with a complement. In this case, "越" has to follow the "得." This construction usually uses "State complements" and "Result complements".

Subj. + Verb 得 +越..., (Verb 得)越 ...

Examples

• 你 买 得 越 多 越 便宜。 .The more you buy, the cheaper it gets.
• 你 说 得 越 慢，可能 我们 听 得 越 清楚。 .The slower you speak, the more we'll probably be able to hear clearly.
• 吃 得 越 多 越 容易 胖。 .The more you eat, the easier it will be to get fat.

See also

• "Along with…" Using "suizhe"

Sources and further reading

Books

• Common Chinese Patterns 330 (汉语常用格式330例) (pp. 295) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 1, Part 2 (3rd ed) (pp. 153-4) →buy
• Integrated Chinese: Level 2, Part 2 (pp. 288-9) →buy
• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 238-9) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 185) →buy
• 40 Lessons for Basic Chinese Course (基础汉语40课下册） (p. 340)→buy