Language/Mandarin-chinese/Grammar/Comparative-Form-and-Usage
Հայերէն
Български език
官話
Hrvatski jezik
Český jazyk
Nederlands
English
Suomen kieli
Français
Deutsch
עברית
हिन्दी
Magyar
Bahasa Indonesia
فارسی
Italiano
日本語
Қазақ тілі
한국어
Lietuvių kalba
Νέα Ελληνικά
Şimali Azərbaycanlılar
Język polski
Português
Limba Română
Русский язык
Српски
Español
العربية القياسية
Svenska
Wikang Tagalog
தமிழ்
ภาษาไทย
Türkçe
Українська мова
Urdu
Tiếng Việt
| ◀️ Chinese Knots and Paper-cutting — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Superlative Form and Usage ▶️ |
As a Mandarin Chinese language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I can testify to the importance of understanding comparative and superlative forms in Mandarin Chinese. It not only allows students to describe things more accurately, but it also enables them to express their opinions more clearly. In this lesson, we will focus on understanding the comparative form and how to use it correctly in Mandarin Chinese.
With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: 是...的 & Classifiers The Complete Guide.
Understanding the Comparative Form
The comparative form is used when comparing two things, and it is formed in Mandarin Chinese by adding the word "更" (gèng) before the adjective, followed by "一点" (yīdiǎn), meaning "a little", or "比" (bǐ), meaning "than". For example:
| Mandarin Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 狗更忠诚一点 | Gǒu gèng zhōngchéng yīdiǎn | Dogs are more loyal (than other animals) |
| 这本书比那本书更有趣 | Zhè běn shū bǐ nà běn shū gèng yǒuqù | This book is more interesting than that book |
When using the comparative form with adverbs, the word "更" (gèng) is also added before the adverb. For example:
| Mandarin Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 她跑得更快 | Tā pǎo dé gèng kuài | She runs faster |
| 这个问题更难 | Zhège wèntí gèng nán | This question is more difficult |
Likewise, when using the comparative form with verbs, the word "更" (gèng) is added before the verb. For example:
| Mandarin Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我更喜欢篮球 | Wǒ gèng xǐhuan lánqiú | I like basketball more |
| 他更外向 | Tā gèng wàixiàng | He is more outgoing |
Rules for Using the Comparative Form
There are a few important rules to remember when using the comparative form in Mandarin Chinese:
1. The word "更" (gèng) is necessary when using the comparative form. 2. The word "一点" (yīdiǎn) can be used to soften the comparison, but it is not required. 3. The word "比" (bǐ) is used to create a comparison between two things, and must be followed by the subject of comparison.
When using the comparative form with adjectives, it is important to remember that the adjective must be placed before the word "更" (gèng). If the adjective is a two-character word, you can also use the comparative form by adding "得" (de) after the adjective, followed by "更" (gèng). For example:
| Mandarin Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这个电影比那个电影好看得多 | Zhège diànyǐng bǐ nàgè diànyǐng hǎokàn de duō | This movie is much more interesting than that movie |
| 这个学校比那个学校更优秀 | Zhège xuéxiào bǐ nàgè xuéxiào gèng yōuxiù | This school is better than that school |
When using the comparative form with adverbs, the word "更" (gèng) is added before the adverb. For example:
| Mandarin Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 他说汉语说得更流利 | Tā shuō hànyǔ shuō de gèng liúlì | He speaks Mandarin more fluently |
| 他带孩子带得更认真 | Tā dài háizi dài de gèng rènzhēn | He takes care of his child more seriously |
Remember that the comparative form is used to compare two things, so the subject of the comparison must always follow "比" (bǐ). For example:
| Mandarin Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我的房间比你的房间更大 | Wǒ de fángjiān bǐ nǐ de fángjiān gèng dà | My room is bigger than your room |
| 他比她更聪明 | Tā bǐ tā gèng cōngmíng | He is smarter than her |
Exceptions to the Comparative Form
While the comparative form is used to compare two things, there are instances where comparisons are made differently in Mandarin Chinese:
1. When comparing three or more things, the word "最" (zuì), meaning "most", is used instead of "更" (gèng). For example:
| Mandarin Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 猫，狗和鸟，我最喜欢鸟 | Māo, gǒu hé niǎo, wǒ zuì xǐhuan niǎo | Cats, dogs and birds, I like birds the most |
| 他们三个中，她最高 | Tāmen sān gè zhòng, tā zuì gāo | Among the three of them, she is the tallest |
2. When comparing the same thing in two different time periods, the phrase "比起来" (bǐ qǐlái), meaning "compared to", is used. For example:
| Mandarin Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 今天的天气比昨天的天气好 | Jīntiān de tiānqì bǐ zuótiān de tiānqì hǎo | Today's weather is better than yesterday's |
| 在中国出差，比起来在美国更忙 | Zài zhōngguó chūchāi, bǐ qǐlái zài měiguó gèng máng | Traveling for business in China is more hectic compared to (traveling for business) in the United States |
3. When comparing qualities that cannot be measured, such as taste or temperature, the word "比较" (bǐjiào), meaning "comparatively", is used. For example:
| Mandarin Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 这家餐厅的菜比较好吃 | Zhè jiā cāntīng de cài bǐjiào hǎochī | The food in this restaurant tastes comparatively better |
| 我觉得这个天气比较冷 | Wǒ juédé zhège tiānqì bǐjiào lěng | I feel it is comparatively cold today |
Conclusion
In this lesson, we have covered the rules for forming and using comparative adjectives and adverbs in Mandarin Chinese. Remember to use the word "更" (gèng) when comparing two things, and "最" (zuì) when comparing three or more things. Use the word "比
Other Lessons
- 了 le
- Subject Verb Object Structure
- Mastering Chinese Grammar Easily – 8 Rules You Need to Know
- Talk about the weather
- Separable verbs
- Be Polite
- 个 (ge)
- Future Tense
- Superlative Form and Usage
- Demonstrative Pronouns and Interrogative Pronouns
| ◀️ Chinese Knots and Paper-cutting — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Superlative Form and Usage ▶️ |