Chinese Lesson: basic comparison using bi

One of the easiest ways to make a comparison in Chinese is using the word 比 (bǐ). It is similar to the English word “than” but the structure of the sentence is different and needs a bit practice.

 

Structure:

Noun 1 + 比 + Noun 2 + Adj.

 

The noun that is placed first is the one that comes out on top in the comparison:

爸爸比妈妈高。= Dad is taller than mom.

妈妈比爸爸矮。= Mom is shorter than dad.

 

More examples:

他比老师聪明。= He is smarter than the teacher.

星巴克的咖啡比这里的咖啡贵。= The coffee at Starbucks is more expensive then the coffee here.

中国比美国大吗?= Is China bigger than the USA?

 

Attention:

The word 很 (hěn) can not be used in the comparison and the adjective in the comparison should be positive.

But you can use 更 (gèng) before the adjective.

Example:

我哥哥比我更大。= My older brother is even taller than me.

 

If you want to say that two things are the same, you use 跟 (gēn) instead of 比。

Example:

我跟姐姐一样高。= I am as tall as my older sister.


Post time: Dec-10-2019