comparisons in Chinese

Same – 跟 gēn…一样 yíyàng

Posted on by tiffany

Grammar Point:
The way to express comparisons in Chinese is by using 比 bǐ. However, when expressing “as same as,” there’s no need to use 比 bǐ anymore. Instead, we use 跟 gēn or 和 hé.

Structure 1

A + 跟 or 和 + B + 一样 or 相同

When you want to state that two things are the same, you should use this structure and avoid using the 比 bǐ structure.

跟 gēn and 和 hé both mean ‘and’ in English, and are considered colloquial language.
一样 yíyàng and 相同 xiāngtóng both mean ‘the same’ in English, but 相同 xiāngtóng is more formal than 一样 yíyàng.

这个zhège字zì的de意思yìsi跟gēn那个nàge字zì一样yíyàng吗ma？
Is the meaning of this word the same as that word?

我wǒ对duì他tā的de看法kànfǎ跟gēn你nǐ一样yíyàng
I have the same opinion about him as you do.

我wǒ跟gēn我wǒ两个liǎngge朋友péngyou的de名字míngzi相同xiāngtóng， 因为yīnwèi我们wǒmen都dōu是shì菜市场càishìchǎng名字míngzi
My name is the same as my two friends because we all have common names.

FYI
菜市场名字 càishìchǎng míngzi
The term ‘supermarket name’ refers to names that are commonly heard in the marketplace, and is used to describe very common names. When you call out one of these names in a supermarket, it’s likely that one or two people will answer you because they have the same name.

他的tāde眼睛yǎnjing和hé他tā爸爸bàba相同xiāngtóng
He has the same eyes as his father.

我wǒ比bǐ他tā一样yíyàng高gāo ❌
I’m as tall as he is.

To negate 一样 yíyàng, just add 不 bù in front of it. However, if you want to negate 相同 xiāngtóng, it’s better to use the word 不同 bùtóng instead of 不相同 bù xiāngtóng.

我wǒ跟gēn我wǒ姐姐jiějie的de个性gexìng不一样bùyíyàng
My sister and I have different personalities.

你nǐ跟gēn我的wǒde想法xiǎngfǎ不同bùtóng， 但是dànshì想法xiǎngfǎ没有méiyǒu好坏hǎohuài， 只是zhǐshì不同bùtóng
Your idea is different from mine, but there is no right or wrong idea, just different.

这zhè道dào菜cài和hé昨天zuótiān那nà道dào不一样bùyíyàng， 这zhè道dào是shì四川sìchuān菜cài
This dish is different from the one yesterday, this is a Sichuan dish.

他的tāde中文zhōngwén老师lǎoshī和hé我的wǒde不同bùtóng， 我的wǒde比较bǐjiào好hǎo
His Chinese teacher is different from mine, mine is better.

我的wǒde狗gǒu跟gēn你的nǐde狗gǒu不bù相同xiāngtóng ❌
My dog is not the same as your dog.
(Actually, this sentence is not necessarily wrong, but it is not commonly used by native speakers. Some textbooks advise against using “不相同 bù xiāngtóng,” which is why I mentioned it here. However, in my personal opinion, it is still okay to use it.)

A + 跟 or 和 + B + 一样 + Adj.

This gives more details, compare with the above one.

你nǐ爸爸bàba跟gēn你nǐ一样yíyàng幽默yōumò吗ma？
Is your father as funny as you?

你的nǐde国家guójiā跟gēn台湾Táiwān一样yíyàng小xiǎo吗ma？
Is your country as small as Taiwan?

这zhè道dào菜cài和hé昨天zuótiān的de菜cài一样yíyàng辣là， 你nǐ能不能néngbùnéng做zuò不辣búlà的de菜cài？
This dish is as spicy as yesterday’s dish. Can you make a non-spicy dish?

你nǐ写xiě的de中国字Zhōngguózì跟gēn毕卡索Bìqiǎsuǒ的de画huà一样yíyàng美měi
Your Chinese characters are as beautiful as Picasso’s paintings.

To negate this structure, you need to place the negation word in front of 跟 gēn instead of verbs.

我的wǒde中文zhōngwén没méi跟gēn他tā一样yíyàng好hǎo吗ma？
Is my Chinese not as good as his?

他的tāde薪水xīnshuǐ没méi跟gēn我wǒ一样yíyàng低dī吧ba？
His salary is not as low as mine, right?

Practice

Learning English is as difficult for me as learning Chinese is for you.
我学英文和你学中文一样难
Wǒ xué yīngwén hé nǐ xué zhōngwén yíyàng nán.

Do you think the same as me?
你的想法和我一样吗？
Nǐ de xiǎngfǎ hé wǒ yíyàng ma?

If you think differently from me, then please don’t tell me what you think.
如果你跟我的想法不同，那请不要告诉我你的想法
Rúguǒ nǐ gēn wǒ de xiǎngfǎ bùtóng, nà qǐng bùyào gàosu wǒ nǐ de xiǎngfǎ.

Do you like it? 🙂