You can use 比 transcribed bîmeaning than, 跟 transcribed gēnmeaning to compare and 像 transcribed xiàngmeaning like to make comparisons in Mandarin Chinese. 比 transcribed bǐ is often used to compare different things, while 像 transcribed xiàng is doing the opposite, comparing similar things. 跟 transcribed gēn is somewhere in the middle, used to compare either different or similar things. Intrigued? Oookay, let’s read on for more details!
How to use 比 (bǐ) to express comparison in Mandarin Chinese?
比 transcribed bǐmeaning than is one of the most common words when comparing things in Mandarin. It is used to compare different people or items. You can use it with verbs (e.g. “run”), adjectives (e.g. “red”), or adverbs (e.g. “quickly”)
The first example compares two people (or entities), 他 transcribed tāmeaning he and 我 transcribed wǒmeaning I, me, in regards to how they do something. In the second example, the sentence compares two people in regards to what quality they have.
You can add specific or non-specific quantity in 比 transcribed bǐ comparisons. For example:
In this pattern, the quantity is not exact. Words expressing non-specific quantities include 一点儿 transcribed yīdiǎnrmeaning a little, 一些 transcribed yīxiēmeaning some , 多 transcribed duōmeaning many, much, etc. For example:
How to use 跟 (gēn) to express comparison in Mandarin Chinese?
跟 transcribed gēnmeaning with compares A and B for similarity or difference. 跟 ... （不 transcribed bù)一样 transcribed yīyàngis a common structure for expressing “as ... as…,” “same … as,” and “different from.”
跟 transcribed gēn comparison can be used at the beginning of a sentence. For example,
How to use 像 (xiàng, “look like”) to express comparison in Mandarin Chinese?
像 transcribed xiàngmeaning like is used to express the similarity between A and B. For example, two people A and B are the same age, they both like eating Chinese dumplings, etc.
This pattern adds in 这么 transcribed zhème / 那么 transcribed nàmemeaning so to express an enhanced degree.
To say “not as … as,” you can use 不像 in this pattern:
What are more words for comparisons in Mandarin Chinese?
Previously we had discussed making comparisons with 有 transcribed yǒu and 不如 transcribed bùrú. In this post we have talked about 比 transcribed bǐ, 跟 transcribed gēn, and 像 transcribed xiàng . These five ways of forming comparison provide a wide range of options for us to do comparison. They often follow a similar pattern, e.g. “A 有/不如/比/跟/像 B + positive or negative statement.” They are also used differently, e.g. we can say 他比/有我高 transcribed Tā bǐ/yǒu wǒ gāomeaning He is taller than I, but we cannot say 他跟/像我高 transcribed Tā gēn/xiàng wǒ gāo. This is because the first lot tends to compare different items, and the second lot tends to compare similar items. For the second lot to work, we add 一样 transcribed yīyàng, that is 他跟/像我一样高 transcribed Tā gēn/xiàng wǒ yīyàng gāomeaning He is as tall as I am.
To express that someone or something has a quality in even greater degree you can use 更 transcribed gèngmeaning even more , and 最 transcribed zuìmeaning most , and is used to express that someone or something has the quality in the greatest degree.
To sum up
In Mandarin, we can use 比 transcribed bǐ, 跟 transcribed gēn , and 像 transcribed xiàng to form comparisons. They follow the general pattern:
A 比 transcribed bǐ B … (positive statement) |
A 跟 transcribed gēn B 一样 transcribed yīyàng … (positive statement) |
A 像 transcribed xiàng B 一样 transcribed yīyàng … (positive statement) |
Okay, now it is time to put what we have said above into practice. Here are some exercises for you to practice making comparisons in Mandarin Chinese!
:quality(80))
:quality(75))
:quality(75))