Let\u2019s look at the first type of comparison:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Rules for comparing two things that do not appear at the same time in a sentence.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In this kind of sentence, there is an implication that one thing is being compared with another, although the \u2018other\u2019 is not explicitly mentioned. So, if I was to say \u201cYour dress is beautiful\u201d, it implies that there are other dresses which are not as beautiful. The following are rules to help you make this kind of comparison in Chinese:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
a) Adjectives in a comparative sentence<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When an adjective is used in a comparative sentence, it can not be used with an adverb, such as \u5f88<\/a> (h\u011bn) or \u975e\u5e38<\/a> (f\u0113i ch\u00e1ng).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the following example, the adjective is \u597d\u770b<\/a> (h\u01ceo k\u00e0n), which in this case means interesting<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u8fd9\u90e8\u7535\u5f71\u597d\u770b<\/strong>\u3002<\/a>(zh\u00e8 b\u00f9 di\u00e0n y\u01d0ng h\u01ceo k\u00e0n.) This movie is interesting<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u8fd9\u90e8\u7535\u5f71\u597d\u770b\u4e00\u4e9b<\/strong>\u3002<\/a>(zh\u00e8 b\u00f9 di\u00e0n y\u01d0ng h\u01ceo k\u00e0n y\u012b xi\u0113.) This movie is a little more interesting<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u8fd9\u90e8\u7535\u5f71\u66f4\u597d\u770b<\/strong>\u3002<\/a>(zh\u00e8 b\u00f9 di\u00e0n y\u01d0ng g\u00e8ng h\u01ceo k\u00e0n.) This movie is more interesting<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u8fd9\u90e8\u7535\u5f71\u6700\u597d\u770b<\/strong>\u3002<\/a>(zh\u00e8 b\u00f9 di\u00e0n y\u01d0ng zu\u00ec h\u01ceo k\u00e0n.) This movie is the most interesting<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, let\u2019s look at using \u6bd4 (b\u01d0) to compare two things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6bd4<\/a> (b\u01d0) basically means \u2018than\u2019, but you can see this in more detail in the examples below. You may notice that in comparative sentences using \u6bd4 (b\u01d0), we do not use adverbs such as \u5f88 (h\u011bn) ‘very’ or \u975e\u5e38 (f\u0113i ch\u00e1ng) ‘extremely’ etc. Instead, we use \u66f4<\/a> (g\u00e8ng) ‘more’, \u8fd8<\/a> (h\u00e1i) ‘even more’ , \u591a<\/a> (du\u014d) ‘many’ and \u8fdc<\/a> (yu\u01cen) ‘far’ etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u5979\u7684\u5e3d\u5b50\u6bd4\u6211\u7684\u597d\u770b<\/strong>\u3002<\/a>(t\u0101 de m\u00e0o zi b\u01d0 w\u01d2 de h\u01ceo k\u00e0n.) Her hat is more<\/strong> beautiful than mine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4ed6\u6bd4\u6211\u66f4\u559c\u6b22<\/strong>\u770b\u4e66\u3002<\/a>(t\u0101 b\u01d0 w\u01d2 g\u00e8ng x\u01d0 huan k\u00e0n sh\u016b.) He likes reading much more<\/strong> than me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4ed6\u7684\u5e74\u7eaa\u6bd4\u6211\u5927\u5f97\u591a<\/strong>\u3002<\/a>(t\u0101 de ni\u00e1n j\u00ec b\u01d0 w\u01d2 d\u00e0 de du\u014d.) He is much older<\/strong> than me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u6bd4\u4ed6\u591a\u8dd1\u4e86\u4e94\u516c\u91cc\u3002<\/a>(w\u01d2 b\u01d0 t\u0101 du\u014d p\u01ceo le w\u01d4 g\u014dng l\u01d0.) I ran 5 miles more than him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u6bd4\u4ed6\u665a\u4e94\u5206\u949f\u5230\u7535\u5f71\u9662\u3002<\/a>(w\u01d2 b\u01d0 t\u0101 w\u01cen w\u01d4 f\u0113n zh\u014dng d\u00e0o di\u00e0n y\u01d0ng yu\u00e0n.) I arrived at the cinema 5 mins later than him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4ed6\u7684\u6e38\u6cf3\u6c34\u5e73\u6bd4\u4ed6\u54e5\u54e5\u5dee\u8fdc\u4e86\u3002<\/a>(t\u0101 de y\u00f3u y\u01d2ng shu\u01d0 p\u00edng b\u01d0 t\u0101 g\u0113 ge ch\u00e0 yu\u01cen le.) He doesn\u2019t swim as well as his brother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s also important to know how to compare using negations like \u6ca1\u6709 (m\u00e9i y\u01d2u) and \u4e0d\u6bd4 (b\u00f9 b\u01d0). Although you may commonly only know \u6ca1\u6709 (m\u00e9i y\u01d2u) to mean \u2018not to have\u2019, it also means \u2018not to be\u2019. The following section looks at these two examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The usages of these two are very different, let’s take a look at the examples below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u6ca1\u6709\u4f60\u5927\u3002<\/a> (w\u01d2 m\u00e9i y\u01d2u n\u01d0 d\u00e0.) I’m not older than you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we translate this sentence, it comes out like this: I \u2018not be\u2019 (compared with) you am old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6ca1\u6709 (m\u00e9i y\u01d2u) is always used with a positive adjective such as \u6f02\u4eae<\/a> (pi\u00e0o liang), \u9ad8<\/a> (g\u0101o) and \u5e05<\/a> (shu\u00e0i).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u5979\u6ca1\u6709\u4f60\u6f02\u4eae\u3002<\/a>(t\u0101 m\u00e9i y\u01d2u n\u01d0 pi\u00e0o liang) She is not more beautiful than you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4ed6\u5bb6\u79bb\u516c\u53f8\u6ca1\u6709\u4f60\u5bb6\u79bb\u5f97\u90a3\u4e48\u8fdc\u3002<\/a>(t\u0101 ji\u0101 l\u00ed g\u014dng s\u012b m\u00e9i y\u01d2u n\u01d0 ji\u0101 l\u00ed de n\u00e0 me yu\u01cen.) His home is not as far from the company as yours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, let\u2019s look at how to use \u4e0d\u6bd4<\/a> (b\u00f9 b\u01d0), which means ‘unlike’.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u4e0d\u6bd4\u4f60\u5927\u3002<\/a>(w\u01d2 b\u00f9 b\u01d0 n\u01d0 d\u00e0.) I’m not older than you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u8fd9\u4e2a\u4e66\u5305\u6bd4\u90a3\u4e2a\u4e66\u5305\u4e0d<\/strong>\u5927\u3002<\/a>\u00d7 (zh\u00e8 ge sh\u016b b\u0101o b\u01d0 n\u00e8i g\u00e8 sh\u016b b\u0101o b\u00fa d\u00e0.) \u8fd9\u4e2a\u4e66\u5305\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong>\u90a3\u4e2a\u4e66\u5305\u5927\u3002<\/a>\u221a (zh\u00e8 ge sh\u016b b\u0101om\u00e9i y\u01d2u n\u00e8i g\u00e8 sh\u016b b\u0101o d\u00e0.) This school bag is not bigger than that one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the ways we can talk about things being the same or different is by using \u4e00\u6837<\/a> (y\u012b y\u00e0ng).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u548c\u4ed6\u4e00\u6837\u5927\u3002<\/a>(w\u01d2 h\u00e9 t\u0101 y\u012b y\u00e0ng d\u00e0.) I am the same age as him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u8fd9\u5f20\u7eb8\u7684\u989c\u8272\u8ddf\u90a3\u5f20\u4e0d\u4e00\u6837\u3002<\/a>(zh\u00e8 zh\u0101ng zh\u01d0 de y\u00e1n s\u00e8 g\u0113n n\u00e0 zh\u0101ng b\u00f9 y\u012b y\u00e0ng.) The colour of this paper is different from that one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: <\/strong>We can use \u5dee\u4e0d\u591a<\/a> (ch\u00e0 bu du\u014d), \u51e0\u4e4e<\/a> (j\u012b h\u016b), \u4e0d\u592a<\/a> (b\u00fa t\u00e0i), \u5b8c\u5168<\/a> (w\u00e1n qu\u00e1n) with(\u4e0d)\u4e00\u6837<\/a> (b\u00f9 y\u012b y\u00e0ng).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u6211\u548c\u6211\u5988\u5988\u7684\u6027\u683c\u5b8c\u5168\u4e0d\u4e00\u6837\u3002<\/a>(w\u01d2 h\u00e9 w\u01d2 m\u0101 ma de x\u00ecng g\u00e9 w\u00e1n qu\u00e1n b\u00f9 y\u012b y\u00e0ng<\/strong>.) My disposition is totally different<\/strong> from my mother’s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u5979\u7684\u6b4c\u5531\u5f97\u4e0d\u5982\u5979\u59d0\u59d0\u597d\u3002<\/a>(t\u0101 de g\u0113 ch\u00e0ng de b\u00f9 r\u00fa t\u0101 ji\u011b jie h\u01ceo.) Her sister sings better than her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this example, \u4e0d\u5982 <\/a>(b\u00f9 r\u00fa) means \u2018not as good as\u2019. Also, when \u4e0d\u5982 (b\u00f9 r\u00fa) is included in the sentence a positive adjective<\/strong> is often used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u4ed6\u6e38\u6cf3\u4e0d\u5982\u6211\u6162\u3002<\/a>\u00d7 (t\u0101 y\u00f3u y\u01d2ng b\u00f9 r\u00fa w\u01d2 m\u00e0n.)b) Adjective + quantifier<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
c) Comparative adverbs + adjective<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/\u66f4\u597d\u770b-comparing-using-\u6bd4.png?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n2. Comparing two things that both appear at the same time in a sentence.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
a) A\u6bd4B+\uff08\u66f4 g\u00e8ng\/\u8fd8 yu\u01cen\uff09+ adj\/verb:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/hats-comparing-using-\u6bd4.png?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/reading-comparing-using-\u6bd4.png?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nb) A\u6bd4B+adj+quantitative complement:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/older-comparing-using-\u6bd4.png?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nc) A\u6bd4B+\u591a (\u5c11)\/\u65e9 (\u665a) + verb + quantifier:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/running-comparing-using-\u6bd4.png?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/swim-comparing-using-\u6bd4.png?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n3. Negative comparative sentences using \u6ca1\u6709 (m\u00e9i y\u01d2u) & \u4e0d\u6bd4 (b\u00f9 b\u01d0)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
a) Using \u6ca1\u6709 (m\u00e9i y\u01d2u)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/\u6ca1\u6709-comparing-using-\u6bd4.png?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nA\u6ca1\u6709B+\uff08\u90a3\u4e48\/\u8fd9\u4e48\uff09<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/\u6ca1\u6709-beautiful-comparing-using-\u6bd4.png?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nb) Using \u4e0d\u6bd4 (b\u00f9 b\u01d0)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Negations such as \u4e0d (b\u00f9) and \u6ca1\u6709 (m\u00e9i y\u01d2u) cannot be used directly before an adjective.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\u8fd9\u4e2a\u4e66\u5305\u6bd4\u90a3\u4e2a\u4e66\u5305\u6ca1\u6709<\/strong>\u5927\u3002<\/a>\u00d7 (zh\u00e8 ge sh\u016b b\u0101o b\u01d0 n\u00e8i g\u00e8 sh\u016b b\u0101o m\u00e9i y\u01d2u d\u00e0.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/\u6ca1\u6709-bag-comparing-using-\u6bd4.png?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n4. Comparative sentences to express similarities and differences:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
a) A\u8ddf\uff08\u548c\uff09B+\uff08\u4e0d\uff09\u4e00\u6837 +\uff08adj\uff09<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/\u4e00\u6837-paper-comparing-using-\u6bd4.png?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nb) A+\u4e0d\u5982+B+ predicate phrase<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/\u4e0d\u548c-sing-comparing-using-\u6bd4.png?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u4ed6\u6e38\u6cf3\u4e0d\u5982\u6211\u5feb<\/strong>\u3002<\/a>\u221a (t\u0101 y\u00f3u y\u01d2ng b\u00f9 r\u00fa w\u01d2 ku\u00e0i.) He swims slower than me.<\/p>\n\n\n\nc) A +\u6709+B+\u8fd9\u4e48\/\u90a3\u4e48+adj<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.writtenchinese.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/\u90a3\u4e48-umbrella-comparing-using-\u6bd4.png?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n