A field guide for learners
Chinese Comparison Sentences
Three ways to stack one thing against another: more than, equal to, less than. Same idea, three completely different sentence shapes.
Greater than
比 bǐ
A + 比 bǐ + B + adjective. The simplest, most common way to say one thing outranks another.
Negating 比 bǐ
比 bǐ doesn’t take 不 bù the way most verbs do. The everyday way to deny a comparison reaches for 没有 méiyǒu instead — covered in its own section below, since it’s really a construction in its own right.
A subtler option
不比 bùbǐ does exist, but it isn’t a plain “not taller” — it pushes back against an assumption. Someone says “he must be taller than you”; 我不比他矮我不比他矮 (“I’m not shorter than him”) corrects the record. Reach for 没有 méiyǒu for a neutral comparison instead.
Equal to
跟 gēn…一样 yíyàng
A + 跟 gēn + B + 一样 yíyàng (+ adjective). The adjective at the end is optional — drop it, and the sentence just claims two things are the same.
Less than
没有 méiyǒu… 那么 nàme
A + 没有 méiyǒu + B + 那么 nàmen / 这么 zhème + adjective. This is the everyday way to say one thing falls short of another — and the natural negation of 比 sentences, even though it doesn’t use 比 at all.
此 vs. 彼
Use 这么 zhème when the standard being compared against is close by or just mentioned; use 那么 nàme when it’s further away or already established — the same 這/那 distinction that shows up everywhere else in Chinese.
At a glance
Quick Reference
| Relationship | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Greater than | A + 比 + B + adj. | 我比你高我比你高 |
| Equal to | A + 跟 + B + 一样 (+ adj.) | 我跟你一樣高我跟你一样高 |
| Less than | A + 没有 + B + 那么 + adj. | 我沒有你那麼高我没有你那么高 |
Curious about a milder degree word like 比较 bǐjiào (“comparatively”)? That one’s covered in Chinese Stative Verbs.
Going deeper
Grammar Points for Comparisons
The three patterns above cover the everyday cases — here’s where to go for the rest, by HSK level.
