ioChinese

比

HSK-G-95
HSK 2 词类 介词
Appears in Context 2 stories ↓

Why does 我比他很高 sound wrong when 很 usually means 'very'?

Drop 很 in 比 sentences. 比 already carries the comparison.

Use 比 + person + adjective, and leave the adjective bare in a 比 sentence. 他很高兴 means 'he is very happy,' but 他比我高兴 means 'he is happier than me.' Adding 很 after 比 makes the comparison sound like a robot error. Native speakers say 我比他高, not 我比他很高.

Situation / PatternFormulaNaturalAvoid
Comparing two peopleA + 比 + B + adjective他比我高他比我很高
Comparing two thingsA + 比 + B + adjective这个比那个好这个比那个很好

Why does 比 go before the adjective in 他比我高, not after it like English 'than'?

比 sits before the adjective, not after it. Never say 他高比我.

比 comes before the person you compare against, not after the adjective. The order is A + 比 + B + adjective, as in 他比我高. English puts 'than' after the adjective, so copying English word order breaks the sentence. If you copy English, you will build a sentence that sounds broken to native ears. Say 他比我高, and never say 他高比我.

Situation / PatternFormulaNaturalAvoid
Comparing heightA + 比 + B + 高他比我高他高比我
Comparing goodnessA + 比 + B + 好这个比那个好这个好比那个
Comparing age with 大A + 比 + B + 大他比我大他大比我

Appears in Stories 2 stories

《你喜欢看老电影吗？》 Do You Like Old Movies?
HSK 2 ~3 min read 224 chars
Read story →

In this dialogue, two people chat while waiting outside a cinema. You'll hear common phrases for talking about hobbies, sports, and movie preferences.

  • 有的时候，老电影比现在的新电影有意思。

    Sometimes old movies are more interesting than today's new ones.

《去上海》 Train or Plane to Shanghai
HSK 2 ~2 min read 151 chars
Read story →

Meet Xiao Shang, who is heading back to Shanghai. She compares two ways to travel and tells us why she prefers the slower one. This story helps you practice comparing transportation in simple Chinese.

  • 坐火车比坐飞机便宜得多，去飞机场也要花很多时间，所以，小商觉得坐火车比坐飞机好。

    Taking the train is much cheaper than flying, and getting to the airport also takes a lot of time, so Xiao Shang thinks taking the train is better than flying.

Questions & Discussion 0 questions

Logged in as: ()

No questions yet. Have a question about this article? Be the first to ask!