Chinese Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE 比
Making comparisons is the most crucial purpose of 比 in Chinese Grammar.
Generally speaking, you could think of “比” as meaning “than”
The basic meaning of “比” is easy to understand, but it can get tricky sometimes since the meaning is changeable according to different positions of the words.
STRUCTURE OF 比
To say that A is more (adjective) than B, the structure is:
PATTERN
Noun A + 比 + Noun B + Adjective
More specifically, the first noun (Noun A) should be the one that comes out better in the comparison.
今天比昨天冷。
Today is colder than yesterday.Noun A “今天” is colder. Noun B “昨天” is used as a baseline.
The same situation could be described as:
昨天比今天暖和。
Yesterday was warmer than today.View More Phrases
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 我的年龄比她大。 | wǒ de nián líng bǐ tā dà | I am older than her. |
| 南方的城市比北方的城市更温暖。 | nán fāng de chéng shì bǐ běi fāng de chéng shì gèng wēn nuǎn | Southern cities are warmer than northern cities |
| 他的房间比我大。 | tā de fáng jiān bǐ wǒ dà | His room is bigger than mine. |
| 这周的作业比上周多。 | zhè zhōu de zuò yè bǐ shàng zhōu duō | There is more homework this week than last week. |
| 你今天做的菜比以前好吃。 | nǐ jīn tiān zuò de cài bǐ yǐ qián hǎo chī | The food you made today is better than before. |
| 我的书比他多。 | wǒ de shū bǐ tā duō | I have more books than him. |
| 这个手链比这个戒指贵。 | zhè gè shǒu liàn bǐ zhè gè jiè zhǐ guì | This bracelet is more expensive than this ring. |
| 我的头发比他的短。 | wǒ de tóu fā bǐ tā de duǎn | My hair is shorter than his. |
METHODS TO EMPHASISE AN ADJECTIVE
What if you want to emphasise the comparison in a “比” sentence?
Well, you can upgrade the basic “比” comparison pattern by adding the emphatic adverb “更” or “多了”. You could think of these emphatic adverbs as meaning “more than”.
STRUCTURE #1
Noun A + 比 + Noun B + 更 + Adjective
STRUCTURE #2
Noun A + 比 + Noun B + Adjective + 多了
改写比原著更精彩。
The rewrite is better than the original.这里的冬天比纽约更冷。
Winters are colder here than in New York.View More Phrases
| chinese | pinyin | english |
|---|---|---|
| 我哥哥比我更高多了。 | wǒ gē gē bǐ wǒ gèng gāo duō le | My brother much is taller than me. |
| 飞机的速度比汽车快多了。 | fēi jī de sù dù bǐ qì chē kuài duō le | Airplanes are faster than cars. |
| 二年级的作业比一年级难多了。 | èr nián jí de zuò yè bǐ yī nián jí nán duō le | Second-grade homework is more complex than first grade. |
| 现在的科技比20年前发达多了。 | xiàn zài de kē jì bǐ 20 nián qián fā dá duō le | Technology is much more advanced now than it was 20 years ago. |
NOTE // “多了” is an informal expression. Therefore, it is more appropriate to be used in situations such as casual chats.
NEGATIVE FORM OF 比
We’ve already learned the affirmative and emphatic form of the “比” comparison structure, and we now should study the negative form.
STRUCTURE #1
Noun A + 不比 + Noun B + adjective
STRUCTURE #2
Noun A + 没有 + Noun B + adjective
| CHINESE | PINYIN | ENGLISH |
|---|---|---|
| 苹果不比菠萝大。 | píng guǒ bú bǐ bō luó dà | An apple is not as big as a pineapple. |
| 苹果没有菠萝大。 | píng guǒ méi yǒu bō luó dà | An apple is not as big as a pineapple. |
| 圆珠笔不比钢笔好用。 | yuán zhū bǐ bú bǐ gāng bǐ hǎo yòng | Ballpoint pens are no better than fountain pens. |
| 圆珠笔没有钢笔好用。 | yuán zhū bǐ méi yǒu gāng bǐ hǎo yòng | Ballpoint pens are no better than fountain pens. |
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FAQs
How do you pronounce 比 in Chinese?
比 is pronounced: bǐ.
How to use 比?
The structure of the sentence should be:
我的头发比他的短。wǒ de tóu fā bǐ tā de duǎn | My hair is shorter than his.
昨天比今天暖和。zuó tiān bǐ jīn tiān nuǎn huo | Yesterday was warmer than today.
How to use 比 in a negative sentence?
The negative structure of 比 should be:
Noun A + 不比 + Noun B + adjective
OR
Noun A + 没有 + Noun B + adjective
Examples:
苹果不比菠萝大。píng guǒ bú bǐ bō luó dà | An apple is not as big as a pineapple.
圆珠笔没有钢笔好用。yuán zhū bǐ méi yǒu gāng bǐ hǎo yòng |
Ballpoint pens are no better than fountain pens.
What does 比 mean in English?
比 means than in English.
It’s used when making comparisons in Mandarin
How to use 比 with emphatic adverbs?
The structure of the sentence with emphatic adverbs should be: Noun A + 比 + Noun B + 更 + adjective
OR
Noun A + 比 + Noun B + adjective + 多了
Examples:
这里的冬天比纽约更冷。zhè lǐ de dōng tiān bǐ niǔ yuē gèng lěng | Winters are colder here than in New York.
飞机的速度比汽车快多了。fēi jī de sù dù bǐ qì chē kuài duō le | Airplanes are faster than cars.
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