Comparatives, /...一样...﹐比起来....

Exercises

Other terminology: Comparison, preposition ; 比字句.

1. How many comparative constructions are there?

The following are the most commonly used comparatives.

1. ...... ...sv. than... Used to compare two objects or two actions, in order to show that one is more or less superior, 他比我高. He is taller than me. 我比你学得好. I study better than you.

2. ...不比... ...not sv. than... Negative form of , as in 他不比我高. He isn't taller than me. 他不比我学得好. He doesn’t study better than I do.

3. ...as sv. as...Usually used in comparative questions to compare A (an object or action) against B, 你的书有我()多吗? Do you have as many books as I do?

4. 没有... not as sv. as... Negative form of , as in 你的书没有我(). You don't have as many book as I do.

5. ......一样... ...as same as...Used to show that two objects or actions are in the same state, as in 中国大学跟英国大学一样好. Chinese universities are as good as English universities.

6. ......不一样.../ ...不像...那么... not the same as... Negative form of ...一样..., 今天跟昨天不一样热./今天不像昨天那 么热. Today is not hot like yesterday.

7. ......比起来... Compared with... Used to show one's preference: 英国菜跟法国菜比起来, 我喜欢法国的. I prefer French food to English food.

8. or even (more/less). Used to express A is even more .... or less ... than B is. and can be used with the construction, 他的汉语比中国人的汉语更/还好. His Chinese is even better than Chinese people's. If you use a stative verb in the first clause and place or before the stative verb of the second clause, can be omitted. For instance, 中文比 /还(要)难. Chinese is even more difficult than English. Or 英文难, 中文更/还(要)难. English is difficult, but Chinese is even more difficult.

9. most/least. Used to express the highest degree of quality or quantity, 在世界上,中国的人口最多. Chinas population is the largest in the world.

2. How can I form a sentence, and what should I be aware of?

If you want to compare two objects, the superior noun should be placed before . A stative verb should be placed at the end of the sentence:

A B stative verb

yīngwén

ENGLISH

BI

zhōngwén

CHINESE

nán

DIFFICULT

English is more difficult than Chinese.

3. Can the words very much”, “extremely” and “really” be used in the construction?

,, and 非常 are not used in sentences. Instead 得多 or 多了 can be placed after a stative verb or an adverb in a sentence to indicate very much more or less...],

A B stative verb 得多/多了

yīngwén

ENGLISH

BI

zhōngwén

CHINESE

nán deduō

得多 / 多了

DIFFICULT VERY MUCH MORE

English is much more difficult than Chinese.

4. How do I form a sentence if I want to describe exactly how much more or less “A” is than “B”?

If you want to specify the amount in the comparison, for instance, if you want to say how much more A is than B, then the number word and the measure word should be placed after the stative verb, as in:

A B stative verb number, measure word
zhè bĕn shū

THIS BEN BOOK

BI

nà bĕnshū

THAT BEN BOOK

duō

MORE

sānyè

THREEPAGES

This books has three pages more than that book.

The following are three patterns when two objects are compared.

A

B

Stative verb

Stative verb 得多/多了

Stative verb, number, measure word

5. Can I use to compare feelings and capabilities?

The sentences can also be used to compare two people's capabilities or intentions. Modal verbs such as , , 喜欢 and or verbs which imply thinking and feeling such as 了解, 注意 and 关心 are used in this construction. The word for [more] is not used in this construction, but [even] can be used. It should be placed before a verb or modal verb:

A

B

mv. v. o

HE

BI

YOU

gèng

MORE

xĭhuānchī zhōngguó fàn

喜欢

LIKE EAT CHINESE MEAL

He likes to eat Chinese meals more than you do.

HE

BI

YOU

gèng

MORE

huì shēnghuó

ABLE LIVE

He knows how to enjoy life even better than you do.

HE

BI

YOU

gèng

MORE

xiăngjiā

MISS HOME

I am more homesick than you.

lăo wáng

OLD WANG

BI

I

gèng

MORE

liăojiĕ zhōngguó

中国

UNDERSTAND CHINA

Wang knows even more about China than I.

6. Can I use the construction to compare two actions?

If you want to compare two actions, the complement of degree () can be used. (very much) is not used in this construction, but 得多 or 多了(very much) should be placed after adverbs. There are three possible sentence patterns for this construction:

1.

A v o

B

v adv. (得多/多了)

tā chī fàn

HE EAT MEAL

BI

I

chīde duō (de duō)

( )

EATDE MORE (VERY MUCH)

He eats (very much) more than I.

2.

A v. o. v.

B

adv.

tāchī fàn chīde

HE EAT MEAL EAT DE

BI

I

duō(de duō)

( )

MORE (VERY MUCH)

He eats (very much) more than I.

3.

A

B v. o. v.

adv.

HE

BI

wŏchī fàn chīde

I EAT MEALEATDE

duō (de duō)

( )

MORE (VERY MUCH)

He eats (very much) more than I.

7. Can I use the construction to compare the difference in quantity between two actions?

If a number word and a measure word are used when you want to compare the difference in quantities between two actions. In this case the adverbs ,,, or should be placed before the main verb and or should be placed after the main verbs:

A B v nw mw o.
HE

BI

I

duō MORE

xuéle

LEARN LE

sān nián zhōngwén

3 YEARS CHINESE

He has learnt 3 years more of Chinese than I have.

A B v nw mw

YOU

BI

I

păo

RUN

kuài le

FAST LE

liăng fēnzhōng

分钟

TWOMINUTES

You ran two minutes faster than I did.

8. Apart from can any other word be used in comparisons?

is usually used in questions to compare one object or action against another. The negative form of is 没有, which can be used in a statement. Stative verbs and the complement of degree () are used in this construction:

A

neg.

B

sv

zhōngwén

中文

CHINESE

yŏu

YOU

yīngwén

英文

ENGLISH

nán

DIFFICULT

ma

MA

Is Chinese as difficult as English?

Av. o.

neg.

B

v. adv.

tāxiĕ hàn zì

HE WRITE CHINESE WORDS

méi yŏu

MEIYOU

I

xiĕ de hăo

WRITE DE WELL

He doesn’t write Chinese characters as well as I do.

9. How can I form a sentence with ... ... 样?

......一样/... ...一样 are used to indicate that two objects or actions are in the same state. A stative verb is not necessarily used:

A

B

一样

(sv)

tā shuō zhōngénshuō de

中文

HE SPEAKS CHINESE SPEAK DE

gēn GEN

zhōngguó rén

中国

CHINESE PEOPLE

yíyàng

一样

SAME

(liúlì)

(流利)

(FLUENT)

He speaks Chinese as fluently as Chinese people do.

He speaks Chinese like a Chinese person.

The negative forms are ......不一样/不像 ...那么...,

A

B

一样

xiăo wăng

XIAO WANG

gēn

GEN

xiăo dīng

XIAO DING

bù yíyàng

一样

NOT SAME

Xiao Wang is not the same as Xiao Ding.

A

B

v/sv

xiăo wáng

XIAO WANG

bú xiàng NOT LIKE

xiăo dīng

XIAO DING

nàmeài xuéxí

学习

SO LOVE STUDY

Xiao Wang doesn’t compare with Xiao Ding in his love of study.

zhōngwén

CHINESE

bú xiàng NOT LIKE

rìwén

JAPANESE

nàme nán

SO DIFFICULT

Chinese doesn’t approach Japanese (in degree) of difficulty.

10. How can I say that I prefer A to B?

. ......比起来 is used to show a preference:

A

B

比较起来

s. v. o.

zhōngguó cài

中国 CHINESE FOOD

gēn GEN

rìbĕn cài 日本 JAPANESE FOOD

bĭjiào qĭlái 比较 起来 COMPARE QILAI

wŏ xĭhuān zhōngguó cài

喜欢

I LIKECHINESE FOOD

I prefer Chinese food to Japanese food.

11. What is the difference between sentences and sentences?

1. sentences imply that in comparing A to B the speaker already acknowledges the nature of B. For instance, 英文有中文难吗? Is English as difficult as Chinese? The speaker already thinks Chinese is difficult. A sentence doesn't have this implication.

2. sentences can only be used to compare one object to another or one action to another, but they can't be used to express the specific degree, as sentences can:

xiăolĭ bĭxiăo dīngdàliăng suì

.

XIAOLI BIXIAO DING BIG TWO YEARS

Li is two years older than Ding.

cannot be used in the above sentence. One cannot say: X小李有小丁大两岁.

12. Can I use the negation before ?

The negative form for sentences is normally 不比. That is because the stative verbs and sentences, which are used in sentences do not take . However, can be used if the verb of the sentence can take the particle for completed action:

tā bù bĭ wŏ máng tā bù bĭ wŏ zhăng degāo

. .

HE NOT BI I BUSY. HE NOT BI I GROW DE TALL

He is not busier than I. He is not taller than I.

Neither busy nor the de construction in the above sentences take the negative aspective , so is used:

xiăowáng méi bĭ xiăo zhāng duō chī liăng wăn fàn

小王 .

XIAO WANG NOT BI XIAO ZHANG MORE EAT TWO BOWL RICE

Xiao Wang didn't eat two bowls of rice more than Xiao Zhang.

[小王比小张多吃了两碗饭.]

The affirmative form for the above sentence would need the particle for completed action. should be used for its negative form.

13. Are the negative forms of (不比) and (没有) the same?

Strictly speaking, they are not the same. In colloquial Chinese they may be occasionally interchangeable:

ta lai de mei you ni zao

.

HE COME DE NOT YOU YOU EARLY

He did not come as early as you did.

tā bù bĭ nĭ lái de zăo

.

HE NOT BI YOU COME DE EARLY

He did not come before you did.

(He might have come at the same time as you did, or later.)

14. What is the difference between sentences and ...一样... sentences?

1. Stative verbs, or the construction, must be used in sentences, but they are not necessarily used in ......一样... sentences:

zhè ge zì gēn nà ge zì yíyiàngma

一样?

THIS GE WORD GEN THAT GE WORD SAME MA

Is this character the same as that one?

You cannot say: X这个字有那个字吗?

2. sentences are normally used in questions and suggestions, but ......一样...sentences do not have this restriction.

15. What is the difference between the constructions A B 一样 and A B 一样?

means to be like, and ...一样... means the same as.... The word order for both constructions is very similar in the affirmative forms, e.g.,

哥哥跟弟弟一样聪明. / 哥哥像弟弟一样聪明. There is however a difference in the negative forms. The negative should be placed before 一样 in the construction, but should be placed before in the construction. 那么 or 这么 (so...) should replace 一样 in the 不像construction, but 这么 and 那么 are not used in the 不跟 construction:

gēge bú xiàng dìdi nàme cōngming

哥哥 弟弟 那么 聪明

OLDER BROTHER NOT LIKE YOUNGER BROTHER SO CLEVER

The older brother is not as clever as his younger brother.

gēge gēn dìdi bù yíyàng cōngming

哥哥 弟弟 一样 聪明

OLDER BROTHER AS YOUNGER BROTHER NOT SAME CLEVER

The older brother and the younger brother are not of the same intelligence.

16. Can you demonstrate the different degrees of comparison?

The following sentence patterns show how different degrees of 聪明 and the construction of complement of degree.

gēge gēn dìdi yí yàng cōngming

哥哥 弟弟一样 聪明

The older brother is same clever as his younger brother

gēge zuòfàn gēn dìdi zuòde yíyàng hăo

哥哥作饭 弟弟作得一样

The older brother cooks food as well as the younger brother

dìdi bĭ gēge gèng cōngming

弟弟哥哥 聪明

The younger brother is even cleverer

dìdi zuòfàn bĭ gēge zuòde gènghăo

弟弟作饭 哥哥作得

The younger brother cooks even better food than his older brother

gēge búxiàng dìdi nàme cōngming

哥哥不像弟弟那么聪明

The older brother is not that clever like his brother younger

gēge zuòfàn búxiàng dìdi zuòde nàme hăo

哥哥作 不像弟弟作得 那么

The older brother doesn’t cook the food well like the younger brother does

gēge méiyŏu dìdi cōngming

哥哥 没有弟弟 聪明

The older brother is not as clever as his younger brother

gēge zuòfàn méiyŏu dìdi zuòde hăo

哥哥 作饭 没有弟弟作得

The older brother doesnt cook as well as the younger brother does

dìdi bĭ gēge cōngming

弟弟哥哥 聪明

The younger brother is cleverer than his older brother

dìdi zuò fàn bĭ gēge zuòde hăo

弟弟作饭哥哥作得

The younger brother cooks better food than the older brother

dìdi bĭ gēge cōngming de duō

弟弟 哥哥聪明

The younger brother is much cleverer than his older brother

dìdi zuòfàn bĭ gēge zuòde hăodeduo

弟弟作饭 哥哥作得 得多

The younger brother cooks much better than his older brother

dìdi zuì cōngming

弟弟

The younger brother is cleverest

dìdi zuòfàn zuòde zuìhăo

弟弟作饭作得

The younger brother cooks the food best

Exercises

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Translate the following sentences into Chinese.

1. Xiao Ding is older than Xiao Wang, but Xiao Ding is smaller than Xiao Wang.

2. Mr. Zhang doesn't run as fast as I do, but he walks as fast as I do.

3. This year's students study much better than last year's did, and they also know more than last year's did.

4. Jingshan Hill in Beijing is very high, but the hills in my hometown are even higher.

5. From here to the Iron and Steel Engineering Institute is 8 miles further than from here to the railway station.

6. Lesson 44 has 15 more new characters than Lesson 45 has, but Lesson 45's grammar is a little bit more difficult than Lesson 44's.

7. Yesterday he came 8 minutes earlier than I did, but today he came 5 minutes later than I did.

8. If he can't answer that question well, we can only do it worse!

9. Your watch is about 5 minutes slower than mine. No wonder (难怪 nán gài lit. difficult to blame.) you came 5 minutes later than I did.

10. He pays even more attention to his health than his girlfriend does to hers.

11. Mr. Ma knows much more about Chinese landscape painting than my teacher does.

12. On Sundays I prefer sleeping in at home to getting up early and going to the park.