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A2 Intermediate Comparisons

比 (bǐ): How to Say “…-er Than…” (Comparisons)

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.

Why this trips learners up

The everyday way to compare two things in Chinese is 比 (bǐ), and it works a lot like English “than” — except the word order takes some getting used to. The pattern is Noun1 + 比 + Noun2 + Adjective: 我比他高 = “I'm taller than him”. 比 sits between the two things being compared, and whatever comes first wins — 小李比小张高 means Xiao Li is the taller one.

The big thing to unlearn: the adjective stays in its plain form. There's no “more”, no “-er”, and — crucially — no 很: 他比我高, never 他比我很高. Two more rules round it out. The adjective must be positive (to flip a comparison you swap the nouns — 他比我高, not 我比他不高), and 比 is only for things that differ — for “the same as” you switch to 跟…一样 (我跟他一样高), never 比…一样.

Want “even more”? Add 更 (gèng) before the adjective: Noun1 + 比 + Noun2 + 更 + Adj — 小李比小张更高 (“Xiao Li is even taller”), the sense being that Xiao Zhang is already tall and Xiao Li tops him. And for “much more”, don't reach for 很 — use a degree tail like 得多 or 多了: 这个城市比我的家乡大得多 (“much bigger”).

The structure

Subject 比 bǐ ObjectAdjective
Colour key

Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.

Pattern Subject Object Complement Adverb Adjective Measure word Number Question

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.

gēge 哥哥 Subject bǐ 比 Pattern dìdi 弟弟 Object gāo 高 Adjective

The older brother is taller than the younger one.

wǒ de fángjiān 我的房间 Subject bǐ 比 Pattern nǐ de 你的 Object dà 大 Adjective

My room is bigger than yours.

huǒchē piào 火车票 Subject bǐ 比 Pattern fēijī piào 飞机票 Object piányi 便宜 Adjective ma 吗 Question

Are train tickets cheaper than plane tickets?

zhè jiā diàn de cài 这家店的菜 Subject bǐ 比 Pattern nà jiā de 那家的 Object hǎochī 好吃 Adjective

This restaurant's food is tastier than that one's.

mèimei 妹妹 Subject hěn 很 Adverb gāo 高 Adjective jiějie 姐姐 Subject bǐ 比 Pattern tā 她 Object gèng 更 Adverb gāo 高 Adjective

The younger sister is tall — and the older sister is even taller (比…更).

jīnnián de kǎoshì 今年的考试 Subject bǐ 比 Pattern qùnián 去年 Object gèng 更 Adverb nán 难 Adjective

This year's exam is even harder than last year's.

zhège chéngshì 这个城市 Subject bǐ 比 Pattern wǒ de jiāxiāng 我的家乡 Object dà 大 Adjective de duō 得多 Complement

This city is much bigger than my hometown (得多 = “much”, the right way — not 很).

tā 他 Subject bǐ 比 Pattern wǒ 我 Object dà 大 Adjective sān 三 Number suì 岁 Measure word

He's three years older than me (比 + adjective + the exact amount).

Common mistakes

Avoid: 他比我很高。 tā bǐ wǒ hěn gāo.
Say this: 他比我高。 tā bǐ wǒ gāo. (much taller → 他比我高得多)

Why it happens: No 很 inside a 比 comparison — the adjective stands bare. “He's taller than me” is 他比我高, never 他比我很高. For “much taller”, use a degree tail: 他比我高得多 / 高多了. (很 is for plain statements, not comparisons.)

Avoid: 我比他不高。 wǒ bǐ tā bù gāo.
Say this: 他比我高。 tā bǐ wǒ gāo. (= he is taller than me)

Why it happens: The adjective has to be positive. You can't say “A 比 B not-tall” — 我比他不高 is wrong. To express the opposite, swap the two nouns and keep the positive adjective: 他比我高 (“he's taller than me”).

Avoid: 我比他一样高。 wǒ bǐ tā yīyàng gāo.
Say this: 我跟他一样高。 wǒ gēn tā yīyàng gāo. (= as tall as him)

Why it happens: 比 is for things that DIFFER. For “the same as”, use 跟…一样, not 比 — “I'm as tall as him” is 我跟他一样高, never 我比他一样高. 比 = one is more; 一样 = they match.

Compare & contrast

比 — one is MORE (they differ)跟…一样 — they're the SAMEThe difference
我比他高。wǒ bǐ tā gāo. = I am taller than him我跟他一样高。wǒ gēn tā yīyàng gāo. = as tall as him我比他高 = “I'm taller than him” — one side wins. 我跟他一样高 = “I'm as tall as him” — dead level.
这个比那个贵。zhège bǐ nàge guì. = this is dearer than that这个跟那个一样贵。zhège gēn nàge yīyàng guì. = this is as dear as that这个比那个贵 = “this is more expensive than that”. 这个跟那个一样贵 = “this is just as expensive as that”.
Rule of thumb比 says one side wins — A 比 B + adjective = “A is more [adj] than B” (我比他高). 跟…一样 says they match — A 跟 B 一样 + adjective = “A is as [adj] as B”. They differ? 比. The same? 跟…一样. Never mix them (no 比…一样).

Try it yourself

Say “The younger brother is shorter than the older brother.” — tap the words into order.

Related patterns

没有没有 (méiyǒu): How to Say “Not as … as …”

The true mirror of 比: 没有 says the first noun falls SHORT — 我比他高 = 他没有我高 (same fact, flipped).

 一样一样 (yīyàng): How to Say “The Same As” / “As … As”

比's opposite: 比 is “more than” (我比他高), 跟…一样 is “the same as” (我跟他一样高).

 更更 (gèng): How to Say “Even More…”

The upgrade: A 比 B 更 Adj = “even more” — already [adj], this one more so (小李比小张更高).

 离离 (lí): How to Say “Far From” and Talk About Distance

Same coverb shape: A 离 B 远 / A 比 B 高 — two nouns first, the adjective at the very end.

 跟跟 (gēn): How to Say “With” (Doing Things Together)

跟 is what links the two sides in 跟…一样 (as…as) — the “same” counterpart to 比's “more”.

 比较How to Say “Rather” with 比较 (bǐjiào)

Same 比 root, two jobs: 比 makes an explicit A 比 B comparison (这个比那个好, “better than that”), while 比较 drops the second item and just means “relatively” (这个比较好).

 在…方面How to Say “In Terms Of / Regarding” with 在…上 and 在…方面

These frames often set up a comparison: 在管理方面，你比我有经验 (“in terms of management, you have more experience”), where 在…方面 names the domain and 比 does the comparing.

 之一How to Say “One of” with 之一 (zhīyī)

The top of the scale: past 比 (more) sits 最 (the most), and 最…的…之一 softens that top to “one of the most” (最高的山之一).

 越来越How to Say “More and More” in Chinese (越来越)

比 compares two different things (我比他高); 越来越 compares one thing to its own earlier self as time passes (越来越高了). The over-time member of the comparison family.

 倍How to Say “Times as Many” in Chinese (倍)

倍 puts an exact multiple on 比: plain 比 says “more than” (他比我高), while 比…多一倍 says “twice as much.” Just remember 比 counts the extra, so 多一倍 is double.

 跟……比How to Say “Compared With” in Chinese (跟……比)

跟……比起来 is the framing cousin of 比: 比 states it head-on (我比他高), while 跟……比起来 leads with “compared to him,” then comments. Same comparison, direct versus framed.

 有……吗How to Say “As … As” in Chinese (有……吗)

Two comparison words: 比 says A is MORE than B (我比他高), while 有 asks whether A merely MATCHES B (你有他高吗？). More-than versus as-much-as; and like 比, 有 takes a bare adjective and negates to 没有.

 有点 / 一点有点 vs 一点: The Two Ways to Say “A Bit” in Chinese

Where 一点 lands in a comparison. A 比 sentence can end in 一点 for “a bit more”: 这个比那个贵一点 (“this is a bit pricier”). The 有点-vs-一点 page sorts that post-adjective 一点 from the pre-adjective complaint word 有点.

 了一点How to Say “A Touch Too” with 了一点 (le yìdiǎn)

了一点 supplies the small gap in a 比 comparison: A 比 B 贵了一点 (“A is a touch pricier than B”). Where bare 一点 gives a neutral “a bit more,” the 了 adds a gentle “a touch too much.”

 差很多How to Say “Very Different” with 差很多 (chà hěn duō)

The size of the gap, not the direction. 比 ranks two things and says which is more (A比B贵); 差很多 just says the gap is large, without ranking. They team up nicely: A比B贵很多 (“a lot pricier”). 比 points; 差很多 measures the distance.
Quick reference card
Merry Mandarin 比 (bǐ): How to Say “…-er Than…” (Comparisons) grammar.merrymandarin.com

A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.

Structure
Subject + 比 + Object + Adjective
Example
哥哥比弟弟高
The older brother is taller than the younger one.
Watch out
✗ 他比我很高。  →  ✓ 他比我高。