Level 2 · Elementary
Comparisons with 比
A + 比 + B + Adj.
比 (bǐ) compares two things: 他比我高 "he is taller than me" — literally "he compared-to me tall". The adjective comes last, bare.
Bare means no 很: 他比我很高 is wrong. To say by how much, add it after the adjective: 贵一点 "a bit more expensive", 大三岁 "three years older", 好得多 "much better".
Examples
他比我高。
tā bǐ wǒ gāo
He is taller than me.
今天比昨天热。
今天比昨天熱。
jīn tiān bǐ zuó tiān rè
Today is hotter than yesterday.
这个比那个贵一点。
這個比那個貴一點。
zhè ge bǐ nà ge guì yī diǎn
This one is a bit more expensive than that one.
我哥哥比我大三岁。
我哥哥比我大三歲。
wǒ gē ge bǐ wǒ dà sān suì
My older brother is three years older than me.
Common mistakes
✗ 他比我很高。
✓ 他比我高。
No 很 in a 比 comparison — the adjective stays bare.
Related grammar points
See it in a story
Read this pattern in context: The Challenge (Part 1) · Getting Ready (Part 2) — free graded stories with tap-to-reveal pinyin and translations.
