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.
- 我 觉得 她 一点 没有 变。 I don't think she has changed at all.
- 时代 变 了。 Times have changed.
变化 is often a noun
In English we often say something "has changed a lot." In Chinese, the normal way to express that idea is that (literally) "change has been big." To preserve this flavor, we've purposely used translations below where "change" in Engish is also a noun.
- 十 年 没 见 他 ， 他 的 变化 很 大 。 I haven't seen him for ten years and the changes are major.
- 最近 的 天气 没有 变化 ， 还是 很 冷 。 There haven't been changes in the weather recently. It's still cold.
- 和 十 年 前比 ，人们 的 观念 变化 很 大 。 Compared to ten years ago, changes in people's perceptions have been significant.
- 现在 的 政策 不 确定 ， 每天 都 有 新 变化。 The policy is uncertain now, and there are new 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 。 Because of climate change, it hasn't snowed at Christmas time in London for a long time.
- 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 experienced profound change.
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 have turned yellow.
- 这 两 年 ， 我 觉得 我 的 妈妈 变 老 了 。 In the past few years, I feel my mother has gotten 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 gotten 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 the situation more serious.
- 她 现在 变得 越来越 漂亮 了 。 These days she's getting prettier and prettier.
变成 + noun
- 他 最近 变成 单身 了 。 He has recently become single.
- 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 have become good friends.
- 他们 会 把 牛奶 的 颜色 变成 蓝色 ， 就 像 星球大战 一样 ！They'll turn the color of the milk blue, just like in Star Wars!
- 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.
变 + noun
Some limited nouns can directly follow 变.
- 你 变 了 样子。 You've changed your appearance.
- 把 这 件 衣服 放 在 太阳 下面，就 会 变 颜色。 Put this clothing in the sun and it will change color.
- 听到 这个 消息，他 变 了 脸，看起来 很 生气。 When he heard the news, his face changed and looked angry.
- 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 squooshed and changed its shape.
变 and 变化 can sometimes be used interchangeably to mean "to change"
These contexts are limited, and usually occur in phrases where "changing" is expressed using 在.
- 社会 在 变化，人们的 观念 也 在 变化。 Society is changing, and so are people's perceptions.
- 社会 在 变，人们的 观念 也 在 变。 Society is changing, and so are people's perceptions.
- 情况 不断 在 变化。 The situation is constantly changing.
- 情况 不断 在 变。 The situation is constantly changing.
- 我 一直 在 变，你 也 一直 在 变化。 I keep changing and you keep changing.
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
