How to compare two things in Chinese

A 比 B + adjectiveHSK 2

比 compares two things: A 比 B 快 means 'A is faster than B'. Don't add 很 before the adjective in a 比 sentence.

它比我的旧手机快吗？ — Is it faster than my old phone?

Seen in 买手机便宜还是贵一起做饭羊肉还是鱼 +2

A 离 B + 近/远 — distance between two placesHSK 2

离 marks the reference point when talking about distance: A 离 B 近/远 means 'A is close to/far from B.'

我的公司离我家很近。— My company is close to my home.

Seen in 离家很近图书馆旅游计划

A 更 + adj（A is more...）HSK 2

更 before an adjective compares two things, saying one is even more so than the other.

鱼更好吃。— The fish is more delicious.

Seen in 好吃吗菜单

像……一样 (to be like...)HSK 3

像 + noun + 一样 compares something to another thing, meaning 'just like...'.

老虎跑得很快，像风一样。 — The tiger ran very fast, like the wind.

Seen in 动物园邻居垃圾分类

A 比 B + adjective + 多了HSK 3

比 compares two things; adding 多了 after the adjective means 'much (more) ...', a big difference, e.g. 今天比昨天冷多了.

我觉得比昨天好多了。 — I feel much better than yesterday.

Seen in 发烧感冒点外卖

How to use this page

These 5 patterns all do the same job in Chinese, so they are worth seeing side by side — the differences between them are easier to feel when they are next to each other than when they are spread across six HSK levels. They range from HSK 2–3.

Grammar sticks through reading, not through lists. Each entry links to the reading it was taken from. Skim the page, then go read one of them and come back when a sentence stops making sense.

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