How to Say “Very Different” with 差很多 (chà hěn duō)
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.”
Why this trips learners up
You probably learned 差不多 (chàbuduō) as a single word meaning “more or less the same.” The trick to its opposite is to break it back into pieces: 差 means “to differ / fall short,” and 差不多 literally says “the difference is not much.” Flip the “not much” to “a lot” and you get 差很多 (chà hěn duō), literally “the difference is great”: very different, not the same at all. 中西方的文化差很多 (“Chinese and Western culture are very different”), 这两件衣服的质量差很多 (“the quality of these two is very different”).
The structure is a predicate. Two shapes: Subject + 差很多 (两个价格差很多, “the two prices differ a lot”), or, to compare two things directly, A + 跟 / 和 + B + 差很多 (我的生活习惯跟我父母差很多, “my habits are very different from my parents'”). The degree word 很 sits between 差 and 多, and you can swap in others for feel: 差得多, 差好多, or the colloquial, emphatic 差远了 (“differ by a mile”).
It's less versatile than 差不多, on purpose. 差不多 is a workhorse with several meanings: “about the same” (两个差不多), but also “almost / nearly” (饭差不多好了, “the food's almost ready”) and “roughly / about” (差不多十点, “around ten o'clock”). 差很多 does none of that. It has exactly one job: to say two things differ greatly. So you can't use it for “almost” or “roughly”, if you mean the food is nearly ready, it's 差不多好了, never 差很多好了.
That's the whole comparison, laid out below: 差很多 and 差不多 are direct opposites built on the same 差, one saying the gap is small (or even zero), the other saying it's large. When two things are basically alike, it's 差不多; when they're worlds apart, it's 差很多. Just keep in mind that only 差不多 also stretches to “almost” and “roughly”, 差很多 stays strictly about difference.
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.
zhè liǎng shuāng xié de jiàgé 这两双鞋的价格 Subject chà 差 Pattern hěn duō 很多 Complement
The prices of these two pairs of shoes differ a lot (simplest Subject + 差很多).
nánfāng 南方 Subject hé 和 Connector běifāng de qìhòu 北方的气候 Other chà 差 Pattern hěn duō 很多 Complement
The climate in the south and the north is very different (A + 和 + B + 差很多).
zhè liǎng ge páizi kànqǐlái chàbuduō 这两个牌子看起来差不多， Other dànshì jiàgé 但是价格 Subject chà 差 Pattern hěn duō 很多 Complement
These two brands look about the same, but their prices differ a lot (差不多 and 差很多 side by side).
wǒ xiànzài de xiǎngfǎ 我现在的想法 Subject gēn 跟 Connector yǐqián 以前 Other chà 差 Pattern hěn duō 很多 Complement
My current thinking is very different from before (A + 跟 + B, a time comparison).
gēge 哥哥 Subject hé 和 Connector dìdi de shēngāo 弟弟的身高 Other chà 差 Pattern hěn duō 很多 Complement
The older and younger brother's heights differ a lot (A + 和 + B + attribute + 差很多).
suīrán shì tóng yí ge zuòzhě 虽然是同一个作者， Other zhè liǎng běn shū de fēnggé 这两本书的风格 Subject chà 差 Pattern hěn duō 很多 Complement
Even though it's the same author, these two books' styles are very different (虽然 concession + 差很多).
wǎngshàng de zhàopiàn 网上的照片 Subject hé 和 Connector shíwù 实物 Other chà 差 Pattern hěn duō 很多 Complement
The online photos and the actual item are very different (the everyday “photo vs reality” gap).
liǎng jiā diàn de dōngxi kànzhe yíyàng 两家店的东西看着一样， Other qíshí zhìliàng 其实质量 Subject chà 差 Pattern hěn duō 很多 Complement
The goods at the two shops look the same, but the quality actually differs a lot (看着一样，其实…差很多).
Common mistakes
Why it happens: For “very different,” use 差很多, not 差不多, they're opposites. 他们是双胞胎，但性格差不多 says their personalities are “about the same,” the reverse of what you mean. To say twins are very different in personality, it's 性格差很多.
Why it happens: You need a degree word between 差 and 多: 差很多 (or 差得多, 差好多). Bare 差多 isn't idiomatic, and 很 doesn't go before 差 (not 很差多). The pattern is 差 + 很 + 多, literally “differ by a lot.”
Why it happens: 差很多 only means “differ greatly,” it never means “almost.” 饭差很多好了 doesn't work for “the food's almost ready”; that sense belongs to 差不多: 饭差不多好了. Reach for 差很多 only when you're talking about a big difference between things.
Compare & contrast
| 差很多 chà hěn duō (a big gap: “very different, the difference is great”) | 差不多 chàbuduō (a small gap: “about the same,” and also “almost / roughly”) | The difference |
|---|---|---|
| 这两个差很多zhè liǎng ge chà hěn duō = “these two are very different” (差很多: a big gap, “the difference is great”) | 这两个差不多zhè liǎng ge chàbuduō = “these two are about the same” (差不多: a small gap, “the difference is not much”) | 这两个差很多 means “these two are very different,” 差很多 marking a big gap, “the difference is great.” 这两个差不多 means “these two are about the same,” 差不多 marking a small gap, “the difference is not much.” Same 差 (“differ”), but one magnifies the gap and the other shrinks it to nearly nothing. |
| 质量差很多zhìliàng chà hěn duō = “the quality is very different” (差很多 only ever means “differ greatly”) | 饭差不多好了fàn chàbuduō hǎo le = “the food is almost ready” (差不多 also means “almost / nearly,” a sense 差很多 lacks) | 质量差很多 means “the quality is very different,” and that's all 差很多 can do, mark a large difference. 饭差不多好了 means “the food is almost ready,” showing 差不多's extra reach into “almost / nearly,” a sense 差很多 simply doesn't have. They're opposites for “same or not,” but only 差不多 also means “almost.” |
Try it yourself
Say “These two prices are very different.” Use Subject + 差 + 很多.
Related patterns
Quick reference card
How to Say “Very Different” with 差很多 (chà hěn duō) grammar.merrymandarin.com A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.