Comparisons

差不多 (chàbuduō) means “more or less”, “about” or “almost”. As a predicate it says two things are about the same (A 跟/和 B 差不多); before an adjective, verb or number it softens to “almost” or “around”.

To say two things are the same, Chinese links them with 跟 or 和 and ends with 一样: A 跟/和 B 一样 (我和你一样 = “I'm the same as you”). Add an adjective after 一样 for “as … as” (一样高 = “as tall”).

有点 (yǒudiǎn) means “a bit too…” — Subject + 有点 + adjective (这个菜有点辣 = “this dish is a bit too spicy”). It carries a mild complaint, so the adjective is always something you'd rather wasn't so.

更 (gèng) means “even more…” — 更 + adjective (这个更好 = “this one's even better”). Not just “-er”: 更 adds “even more” on top of an already-high degree. It teams up with 比 (A 比 B 更 Adj).

真 (zhēn) means “really” or “so” — an exclamatory intensifier. 真 + adjective in an exclamation (今天真冷！= “it's so cold today!”). It also fronts feeling verbs and 会/能 (你真会说话！).

A second job for 还 (hái): set it before a “good” word — 好 / 可以 / 行 / 不错 — and it tones that word down to “it's OK / not bad / pretty good” (这个还可以 = “this is OK”). Usually lukewarm — fine, but nothing to rave about.

To compare two things, Chinese uses 比 (bǐ): Noun1 + 比 + Noun2 + Adjective = “Noun1 is more [adj] than Noun2” (我比他高 = “I'm taller than him”). The first noun wins; the adjective stays bare.

没有 (méiyǒu) is the mirror of 比: Noun1 + 没有 + Noun2 + Adjective = “Noun1 is not as [adj] as Noun2” (我没有他高 = “I'm not as tall as him”). The first noun falls short. (Same 没有 as “not have”.)

极了 (jíle) intensifies an adjective to “extremely / incredibly”: Subject + Adjective + 极了 — 好极了 (“wonderful”), 累极了 (“exhausted”), 难吃极了 (“disgusting”). It’s colloquial, works for positive and negative adjectives, and — unlike 真/太 — it goes AFTER the adjective. Always keep the 了.

够 (gòu) means “enough / sufficiently” and goes before the word it measures: 够 + Verb/Adj — 这些钱够了 (“this money is enough”), 今天够冷了 (“it’s cold enough today”). With an adjective the affirmative wants a final 了; the negative is 不够 (不够大) and takes no 了.

这么 and 那么 (zhème, nàme) are the everyday way to say “so” in front of an adjective: 这个包这么贵 (“this bag is so expensive”), 那座山那么高 (“that mountain is so tall”). Use 这么 for something near you or happening now, and 那么 for something farther away or in the past. Add 多 and they cover quantity too: 那么多书 (“so many books”).

挺 (tǐng) is the warm, conversational way to say something is “quite,” “rather,” or “pretty” good: 这家餐厅挺好的 (“this restaurant is quite good”). The frame is 挺 + Adjective + 的, and that closing 的 is its signature. 挺 also fronts feeling verbs like 喜欢 and 想 (挺喜欢…的, “quite like”).

比较 (bǐjiào) is the adverb for “rather,” “comparatively,” or “relatively”: 这条路比较窄 (“this road is relatively narrow”). It always carries a quiet comparison, a measured “more so than the alternative,” not a flat “very.” It also fronts feeling verbs like 喜欢 (比较喜欢, “rather prefer”), and unlike 挺, it takes no closing 的.

Chinese expresses “more and more” with one fixed word: 越来越. Put it before an adjective (天越来越黑了, “it’s getting darker and darker”) or before a verb (我越来越喜欢这里了, “I like it here more and more”), and close with 了 to show the change is still going. 越来越 already means the degree is climbing, so you never add 很 or 非常, and you never double the adjective the way English does.

Chinese counts multiples with 倍 (bèi), but through two structures that count differently. 是 B 的 N 倍 gives the exact total: 今年的游客是去年的三倍 (“three times last year’s,” 3×). 比 B + Adjective + N 倍 counts the EXTRA on top, so 多一倍 is double (one time more) and 多两倍 is triple. That +1 catches everyone, so when 多 and 倍 meet, say the real number.

To lead with “compared with A,” Chinese fronts the frame 跟 + A + 比 (起来)，then comments on B: 跟北京比，这里的冬天不太冷 (“compared to Beijing, winters here aren’t too cold”). It also compares one thing across time (跟去年比，你进步了很多). 跟 swaps freely with 和, and 比 can take an optional 起来 (比起来). For a straight “A is taller than B,” use plain 比 instead.

Besides “to have,” 有 asks whether one thing reaches another’s level: A + 有 + B + Adj (+ 吗) means “Is A as [adj] as B?”, as in 你有他高吗？(“are you as tall as him?”). It is mostly a question, often a doubting one. A verb takes a 得 complement (你有他说得流利吗？), and 这么/那么 adds “really that…?” (他真的有那么厉害吗？). The negative answer flips 有 to 没有 (我没有他高); to STATE that two things are equal, use 跟…一样.

有点 (yǒudiǎn) and 一点 (yìdiǎn) both translate as “a bit,” but they work differently. 有点 goes BEFORE an adjective and voices a complaint, “a bit too…” (今天有点冷, “it’s a bit too cold”). 一点 goes AFTER an adjective for a request or comparison, “a bit more…” (说慢一点, “speak a bit slower”; 大一点, “a bit bigger”), and before a noun for a small quantity (一点水, “a little water”). In negatives, 有点不 is a mild “not really,” while 一点也不 is a flat “not at all.”

得不得了 (de bùdéliǎo) is a degree complement that pushes an adjective or a feeling verb to the extreme: Adjective + 得不得了 = “extremely / terribly / incredibly.” 甜得不得了 (“incredibly sweet”), 忙得不得了 (“crazy busy”), 高兴得不得了 (“over the moon”). On its own 不得了 means “terrible,” but as a complement it simply maxes the degree, and it works for good things as happily as bad ones. It’s colloquial and emphatic, stronger than 很 or 非常.

得很 (de hěn) is a degree complement that adds real emphasis AFTER an adjective: Adjective + 得很 = “very / really / genuinely.” 好得很 (“really good”), 忙得很 (“swamped”), 聪明得很 (“plenty smart”). It’s informal and spoken, and it’s noticeably stronger than the plain 很 you put BEFORE an adjective, where 很好 is often just “good.” Same 很, opposite weight.

了一点 (le yìdiǎn) goes AFTER an adjective to mean “a touch too / a little too”: Adjective + 了一点. 短了一点 (“a touch too short”), 咸了一点 (“a bit too salty”), 贵了一点 (“a little pricey”). It’s a soft, tactful way to point out a flaw, gentler than a blunt 太, and the 了 marks it as how something has turned out. In fast speech the 一 often drops to 了点.

可 (kě) is the emphatic adverb that measures reality against what you expected and marks the gap. It does three jobs, all the same 可: it intensifies an adjective (可 + Adj + 了: 今天可冷了, “it's SO cold today”), it drives home a warning (可别 / 可不能: 你可别迟到, “don't you dare be late”), and it means “finally” (可…了: 你可回来了, “you're finally back”). It's informal, spoken, Northern-flavoured, and almost always leans on 了.

几乎 (jīhū) is the neutral “nearly / almost”: it stresses that something is very close to a point, a degree, or a total. It sits before the subject for “almost all/none” (几乎每个人都…, 几乎没有人…), and before the predicate for “almost [done]” or “hardly ever” (几乎看完了, 几乎不喝酒). Unlike 差点, it's about proportion and degree, not a single near-miss.

简直 (jiǎnzhí) is the emphatic “simply / completely / downright,” piling on the speaker's amazement (“it's SO much it's practically…”). Use 1 puts it before an already-extreme predicate: 这里简直太美了 (“this place is simply gorgeous”). Use 2 adds 是 for “basically / practically”: 他简直是骗人 (“he's basically lying”). It never takes a bare adjective or 很.

差很多 (chà hěn duō) is the opposite of 差不多. If 差不多 is “the difference is not much” (more or less the same), then 差很多 is “the difference is great”: very different, not the same at all. It's a predicate, Subject + 差很多 or A + 跟/和 + B + 差很多 (我跟我父母差很多). The 很 sits between 差 and 多. Unlike 差不多, it only ever means “differ greatly,” never “almost.”