Expressing comparable degree with "you"

有 (yǒu), besides just meaning "to have," can also be used in comparisons. It's what you use instead of 比 (bǐ) if something is "as [adjective] as" something else.

Basic structure

The structure is very straightforward. It literally means "A has B's [adjective]." The meaning is "A is as [adjective] as B."

A 有 B + Adjective

This pattern is often used in questions.

Examples

• 他 有 我 帅 吗？Tā yǒu wǒ shuài ma?Is he as handsome as me?
• 她 有 我 可爱 吗？Tā yǒu wǒ kě'ài ma?Is she as cute as me?
• 红酒 有 白酒 好喝 吗？Hóngjiǔ yǒu báijiǔ hǎo hē ma?Is red wine as tasty to drink as white wine?
• 你 儿子 有 我 儿子 调皮 吗？Nǐ érzi yǒu wǒ érzi tiáopí ma?Is your son as naughty as my son?
• 你 的 中文 有 大山 好 吗？Nǐ de Zhōngwén yǒu Dàshān hǎo ma?Is your Chinese as good as Dashan's?
• 上海 的 房子 有 纽约 的 贵 吗？Shànghǎi de fángzi yǒu Niǔyuē de guì ma?Are the apartments in Shanghai as expensive as the ones in New York?
• 你 做 的 饭 有 我 做 的 好吃 吗？Nǐ zuò de fàn yǒu wǒ zuò de hǎochī ma?Is the food you cooked as delicious as what I cooked?
• 你 的 衣服 有 我 的 多 吗？Nǐ de yīfu yǒu wǒ de duō ma?Do you have as many clothes as I do?
• 泰国 有 巴厘岛 好玩 吗？Tàiguó yǒu Bālí dǎo hǎowán ma?Is Thailand as fun as Bali?
• 伦敦 的 人口 有 上海 多 吗？Lúndūn de rénkǒu yǒu Shànghǎi duō ma?Is London's population as much as Shanghai's?

Notice that all these example sentences are questions. Typically this form is used in questions, although they can be used in simple statements, like:

• 他 有 我 高。Tā yǒu wǒ gāo.He is as tall as me.

Structure with 那么

This form is often used with 那么, which in this case means "as much." This is sort of like saying "You are as much tall as your brother," but it actually sounds good in Chinese.

A 有 B + 那么 + Adjective + 吗？

Examples

• 他 有 我 那么 帅 吗？Tā yǒu wǒ nàme shuài ma?Is he as handsome as me?
• 她 有 我 那么 可爱 吗？Tā yǒu wǒ nàme kě'ài ma?Is she as cute as me?
• 红酒 有 白酒 那么 好喝 吗？Hóngjiǔ yǒu báijiǔ nàme hǎo hē ma?Is red wine as good to drink as white wine?
• 你 的 儿子 有 我 的 那么 调皮 吗？Nǐ de érzi yǒu wǒ dì nàme tiáopí ma?Is your son as naughty as mine?
• 你 的 中文 有 John 那么 好 吗？Nǐ de Zhōngwén yǒu John nàme hǎo ma?Is your Chinese as good as John's?
• 上海 的 房子 有 纽约 的 那么 贵 吗？Shànghǎi de fángzi yǒu Niǔyuē dì nàme guì ma?Are the apartments in Shanghai just as expensive as in New York?
• 你 做 的 饭 有 我 做 的 那么 好吃 吗？Nǐ zuò de fàn yǒu wǒ zuò dì nàme hǎochī ma?Is your cooked food just as good as mine?
• 你 的 衣服 有 我 的 那么 多 吗？Nǐ de yīfu yǒu wǒ dì nàme duō ma?Do you have as many clothes as I do?
• 泰国 有 巴厘岛 那么 好玩 吗？Tàiguó yǒu Bālí dǎo nàme hǎowán ma?Is Thailand just as fun as Bali?
• 伦敦 的 人口 有 上海 那么 多 吗？Lúndūn de rénkǒu yǒu Shànghǎi nàme duō ma?Is London's population as big as Shanghai's?

Make sure that you use an adjective with this form. In English we may say something like "You have your mother's eyes," but you cannot say that in Chinese.

• 你 有 你 妈妈 的 眼睛。Nǐ yǒu nǐ māmā de yǎnjīng.You (literally) have your mother's eyes. (Incorrect)
• 你 的 眼睛 有 你 妈妈 的 眼睛 那么 大。Nǐ de yǎnjīng yǒu nǐ māmā de yǎnjīng nàme dà.Your eyes are as big as your mother's eyes.

The negative form of this grammar pattern is with 没有.

See also

• Basic comparisons with "meiyou"
• Basic comparisons with "bi"
• Basic comparisons with "bu bi"
• Comparisons with "buru"
• Basic comparisons with "yiyang"

Sources and further reading

Books

• New Practical Chinese Reader 3 (新实用汉语课本3) (pp. 33-4) →buy

• 现代汉语八百词 (p.631) →buy