Table of Contents

Grammar Point

A 沒有没有 méiyǒu B (那麼那么) + Adjective

To say “A is not as [adjective] as B,” use A 没有 B (这么 / 那么) + Adj. A méiyǒu B (zhème / nàme) + Adj.. It’s the simplest way to say one thing has less of a quality than another.

一 The Basic Pattern

A + 没有 + B + (这么 / 那么) + Adjective

這麼 zhème这么 zhème is used for things that feel close or right in front of you (“this much”). 那麼 nàme那么 nàme is for things that feel further away or more general (“that much”). Honestly, the difference is small, and you can also leave them out.

她tā没有méiyǒu我wǒ这么zhème漂亮piàoliang

She’s not as pretty as me. 💅

奶酪nǎilào没有méiyǒu臭豆腐chòu dòufu那么nàme臭chòu

Cheese isn’t as smelly as stinky tofu.

Taiwan says 起司 qǐsī for cheese; mainland China says 奶酪 nǎilào.

学xué中文Zhōngwén没有méiyǒu你nǐ想xiǎng的de那么nàme难nán

Learning Chinese isn’t as hard as you think.

在zài台湾Táiwān工作gōngzuò的de福利fúlì没有méiyǒu欧洲Ōuzhōu这么zhème好hǎo

The benefits of working in Taiwan aren’t as good as in Europe.

你们nǐmen国家guójiā的de蟑螂zhāngláng一定yídìng没有méiyǒu台湾Táiwān的de那么nàme大dà

I bet the cockroaches in your country aren’t as big as Taiwan’s.

Taiwan’s famous cockroachesLet’s talk about Taiwan’s cockroaches! They’re the celebrities of the cockroach world. Thanks to Taiwan’s warm weather and delicious food, they can grow up to 4.8 cm (1.8 inches) long, leaving other cockroaches in the dust.

And they’re so friendly! Unlike boring cockroaches that run away from people, Taiwan’s cockroaches love to make new friends. Don’t be surprised if one runs straight at you with open arms (er, legs). Oh, and did we mention they can fly? 🪳✈️

二 Asking Questions

A + 有没有 + B + (这么 / 那么) + Adjective？

A + 有 + B + (这么 / 那么) + Adjective + 吗？

To ask “Is A as [adjective] as B?”, use 有沒有 yǒu méiyǒu有没有 yǒu méiyǒu, or use 有 yǒu with 嗎 ma吗 ma at the end.

你nǐ觉得juéde今天jīntiān有没有yǒu méiyǒu昨天zuótiān那么nàme热rè？

Do you think today is as hot as yesterday?

他tā做zuò的de菜cài有没有yǒu méiyǒu我wǒ做zuò的de这么zhème好吃hǎochī？

Is his cooking as good as mine?

你的nǐde手机shǒujī有yǒu我的wǒde那么nàme贵guì吗ma？

Is your phone as expensive as mine?

台语Táiyǔ有yǒu中文Zhōngwén那么nàme难nán吗ma？

Is Taiwanese as hard as Mandarin?

张Zhāng老师lǎoshī教jiāo的de有没有yǒu méiyǒu黄Huáng老师lǎoshī这么zhème好hǎo？

Does Teacher Zhang teach as well as Teacher Huang?

三 3 Ways to Compare

Here’s how this pattern fits in with the other ways to compare:

我wǒ跟gēn他tā一样yíyàng高gāo

I’m as tall as he is.

我wǒ没有méiyǒu他tā那么nàme高gāo

I’m not as tall as he is.

我wǒ比bǐ他tā高gāo

I’m taller than he is.

四 Common Mistakes

❌ 她tā沒有méiyǒu没有méiyǒu我wǒ很hěn漂亮piàoliàng漂亮piàoliang

✅ 她tā沒有méiyǒu没有méiyǒu我wǒ這麼zhème这么zhème漂亮piàoliàng漂亮piàoliang

Don’t use 很 hěn here. Use 這麼 zhème这么 zhème / 那麼 nàme那么 nàme, or nothing at all.

❌ 她tā不bù有yǒu我wǒ漂亮piàoliàng漂亮piàoliang

✅ 她tā沒有méiyǒu没有méiyǒu我wǒ漂亮piàoliàng漂亮piàoliang

有 yǒu is always negated with 沒 méi没 méi: 沒有 méiyǒu没有 méiyǒu.

❌ 我wǒ比bǐ他tā沒有méiyǒu没有méiyǒu高gāo

✅ 我wǒ沒有méiyǒu没有méiyǒu他tā高gāo

沒有 méiyǒu没有 méiyǒu replaces 比 bǐ. Don’t use them together.

五 Practice

Tap the words below in the right order to build the sentence, then check your answer. If it’s wrong, you can try again as many times as you like, or hit “Show answer” if you get stuck. Careful: some tiles are traps and are not needed!

Question 1 of 10

“My Chinese isn’t as good as yours.”