How to Say “More and More” in Chinese (越来越)
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.
Why this trips learners up
English says it by doubling (“colder and colder,” “more and more”), so learners reach for two words. But how to say “more and more” in Chinese is one fixed adverb: 越来越 (yuèláiyuè). The middle 来 never changes, and you don’t repeat the adjective. The whole frame is Subject + 越来越 + Adjective/Verb + 了.
Before an adjective it means the quality keeps rising: 天越来越黑了 (“it’s getting darker and darker”), 东西越来越贵了 (“things are getting more and more expensive”). Before a verb, usually one that describes a feeling or attitude, it means the action or feeling grows: 我越来越喜欢这个城市了 (“I like this city more and more”), 大家越来越重视健康了 (“people care more and more about health”).
The 了 on the end is doing real work. It’s the change-of-state 了, and it tells the listener the quality is still moving right now. Drop it and 天越来越黑 sounds unfinished, as if the sentence stopped halfway. Keep 了 whenever you use 越来越.
When the verb is negative, 越来越不 is most naturally read in English as “less and less” with a positive verb: 我越来越不想出门了 comes out as “I feel less and less like going out,” and 他越来越不接我的电话了 as “he answers my calls less and less.” The Chinese pattern itself doesn’t change; only the smoothest English translation flips.
The structure
Colour key
Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.
Examples in context
Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.
Tap a word to see its grammatical role.
tiān 天 Subject yuèláiyuè 越来越 Pattern hēi 黑 Adjective le 了 Function word
It’s getting darker and darker. (越来越 + the adjective 黑, closed by the change-of-state 了.)
dōngxi 东西 Subject yuèláiyuè 越来越 Pattern guì 贵 Adjective le 了 Function word
Things are getting more and more expensive. (The everyday complaint: 越来越 + 贵 + 了.)
tā de pǔtōnghuà 他的普通话 Subject yuèláiyuè 越来越 Pattern biāozhǔn 标准 Adjective le 了 Function word
His Mandarin is getting more and more standard. (A longer subject, 他的普通话, but still just 越来越 + adjective + 了.)
wǒ 我 Subject yuèláiyuè 越来越 Pattern xǐhuan 喜欢 Verb zhège chéngshì 这个城市 Object le 了 Function word
I like this city more and more. (越来越 before a VERB, 喜欢, with its object 这个城市 after it.)
dàjiā 大家 Subject yuèláiyuè 越来越 Pattern zhòngshì 重视 Verb jiànkāng 健康 Object le 了 Function word
People are paying more and more attention to health. (越来越 + the verb 重视 + object 健康.)
wǒ 我 Subject yuèláiyuè 越来越 Pattern bù 不 Negation xiǎng 想 Function word chūmén 出门 Verb le 了 Function word
I feel less and less like going out. (Negative verb: 越来越不想 reads as “less and less” in English.)
tā 他 Subject yuèláiyuè 越来越 Pattern bù 不 Negation jiē 接 Verb wǒ de diànhuà 我的电话 Object le 了 Function word
He answers my calls less and less. (越来越不 + verb + object; again “less and less” in English.)
nǐ 你 Subject zuìjìn 最近 Time zěnme 怎么 Question yuèláiyuè 越来越 Pattern shòu 瘦 Adjective le 了 Function word
How come you’ve been getting thinner and thinner lately? (越来越 inside a 怎么 “how come” question, with the time word 最近.)
Common mistakes
Why it happens: The change-of-state 了 is not optional here. It’s what signals the quality is still climbing. Without it, 天气越来越冷 feels cut off; you need 天气越来越冷了 for a complete, natural sentence.
Why it happens: 越来越 already carries the rising degree, so it can’t take another degree word. Adding 很 / 非常 / 太 in front of the adjective is redundant and wrong: it’s 天气越来越冷了, never 天气越来越很冷了.
Why it happens: To link TWO variables (“the more I eat, the fatter I get”), you need 越…越…, not two 越来越. That’s 我越吃越胖, with one 越 before each word. Use 越来越 for one quality changing on its own; use 越…越… when one change drives another.
Compare & contrast
| 越来越 (one thing over time) | 越…越… (two linked changes) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 他越来越胖了。tā yuèláiyuè pàng le. | 他越吃越胖。tā yuè chī yuè pàng. | 他越来越胖了 says he keeps getting fatter, one quality rising on its own as time passes. 他越吃越胖 links two things: the more he eats, the fatter he gets. Different structures for different meanings. |
| 天越来越冷了。tiān yuèláiyuè lěng le. | 天越晚越冷。tiān yuè wǎn yuè lěng. | 天越来越冷了 (“it’s getting colder and colder”) tracks one quality across time. 天越晚越冷 (“the later it gets, the colder it is”) ties the cold to the hour, one change driving another. Reach for 越…越… only when two variables move together. |
Try it yourself
Say “Phones are getting cheaper and cheaper.” Use Subject + 越来越 + adjective + 了: 手机越来越便宜了。
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Say “More and More” in Chinese (越来越) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.