Comparing "bian" and "bianhua"
变 (biàn) and 变化 (biànhuà) both are verbs that mean "to change," and can sometimes be used interchangeably. 变 is used in informal situations, whereas 变化 is used in both informal and formal situations. A key difference between these two words is that 变 can be followed by objects or other words, whereas 变化 as a verb cannot. 变化 can also be a noun.
| 变 (biàn) | 变化 (biànhuà) | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | to change | to change; a change |
| Part of Speech | verb | verb, noun |
| Formality | informal | flexible |
Contents
变 is a verb
- 几 年 不 见，你 变 了 。 I haven't seen you for a few years, you've changed .
- 虽然 三 年 没 见，但是 我 觉得 她 一点 没有 变。 Although I haven't seen her for three years, I don't think she has changed at all.
- 时代 变 了。 Times have changed.
变化 is usually a noun
- 十 年 没 见 他 ， 他 的 变化 很 大 。 I haven't seen him for ten years and he has changed a lot.
- 最近 的 天气 没有 变化 ， 还是 很 冷 。 The weather hasn't changed recently, it's still cold.
- 现在 的 政策 不 确定 ， 每天 都 有 新 变化。 Now the policy is uncertain and changes every day.
- 因为 气候 变化 ， 伦敦 在 圣诞节 的 时候 也 很 久 没 下 雪 了 。 It hasn't snowed in London for a long time at Christmas time because of the climate change.
- 改革 开放 以来 ， 中国 社会 发生 了 深刻 的 变化 。 Since the reform and opening up, Chinese society has changed profoundly.
- 和十年前比，人们 的 观念 变化 很 大 。 People's perceptions have changed a lot compared to ten years ago.
变 can be followed by complements
变 + Adjective
Adjectives can come after 变 to form a result complement.
- 秋天 来 了 ， 树叶 变 黄 了 。 Autumn has come, and the leaves are turning yellow.
- 这 两 年 ， 我 觉得 我 的 妈妈 变 老 了 。 In the past two years, I think my mother has become older.
- 我 最近 吃得 很 多，我 感觉 我 变 胖 了，衣服 变 小 了。 I've been eating a lot lately and I feel like I've gotten fatter and my clothes have gotten smaller.
变得 + ....
Use 变得 for all kinds of descriptive complements.
- 我 的 女儿 长大 了 ， 头发 也 变得 很 长 。 My daughter has grown up and her hair has become very long.
- 自从 买 了 洗碗机，洗 碗 变得 很 轻松。 Since I bought a dishwasher, washing dishes has become a breeze.
- 我 很 反对 这样 的 做法 ， 会 让 事情 变得 更 严重 。 I'm against this, it makes things worse.
- 她 现在 变得 越来越 漂亮 了 。 She's getting prettier and prettier.
变成 + noun
- 我 的 猫 和 我 朋友 的 小狗 现在 变成 了 好 朋友 。 My cat and my friend's puppy are now best friends.
- 他 最近 变成 单身 了 。 He has recently become single.
- 很 多 绿色 的 地方 未来 几十 年 会 变成 沙漠 。 A lot of green places will turn into deserts in the next few decades.
- 他们 会 把 啤酒 的 颜色 变成 绿色 。 They'll turn the color of beer green.
变 + noun
Some limited nouns can directly follow 变
- 听到 这个 消息，他 变 了 脸，看起来 很 生气。 When he heard the news, he changed his face and looked angry.
- 你 变 了 样子。 You change your appearance.
- 把 这 件 衣服 放 在 太阳 下面，就 会 变 颜色。 Put this dress under the sun and it will change color.
- 地铁 里 人 很 多，我的 面包 放 在 包 里面，被 挤 得 变 了 形状。 The subway was so crowded that my bread, which was inside my bag, was squeezed and changed its shape.
变 and 变化 can sometimes be used interchangeably to mean "to change"
但是有限制，需要加“在”，“在变；在变化”
- 社会在变化，人们的观念也在变化。
- 社会在变，人们的观念也在变。
- 情况不断在变化。
- 情况不断在变。
- 我一直在变，你也一直在变化。
Sources and further reading
Books
Websites
- HiNative: "变" 和 "改变" 和 "变化" 和有什么不一样?
- 近义词辨析#变化&变&改变
