Introduction
我比他高。(Wǒ bǐ tā gāo.) says I am taller. It does not say by how much. Put a quantity after the adjective and the gap becomes concrete: 我比他高很多。(Wǒ bǐ tā gāo hěn duō.) — I'm much taller than he is.
Overview
Structure: A + 比 (bǐ) + B + Adj. + 很多 (hěn duō) / 得多 (de duō) / 多了 (duō le) / [quantity]
| Pattern | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| A 比 B + Adj + 很多 | 我比他高很多。(Wǒ bǐ tā gāo hěn duō.) | I'm much taller. |
| A 比 B + Adj + 得多 | 这个贵得多。(Zhège guì de duō.) | This is far more expensive. |
| A 比 B + Adj + 多了 | 今天热多了。(Jīntiān rè duō le.) | Today's much hotter. |
| A 比 B + Adj + 一点儿 | 我比他高一点儿。(Wǒ bǐ tā gāo yìdiǎnr.) | I'm a bit taller. |
| A 比 B + Adj + Number | 我比他大三岁。(Wǒ bǐ tā dà sān suì.) | I'm three years older. |
The quantity goes after the adjective, never before it:
- ✓ 我比他高很多。(Wǒ bǐ tā gāo hěn duō.) ❌ 我比他很多高。(Wǒ bǐ tā hěn duō gāo.)
- This is the mirror image of the 很 (hěn) rule: in a 比 sentence nothing goes in front of the adjective except 更 (gèng).
- Small gap, same slot: 我比他高一点儿。(Wǒ bǐ tā gāo yìdiǎnr.) — a bit taller.
- An exact figure works the same way: 我比他大三岁。(Wǒ bǐ tā dà sān suì.) — three years older.
Examples
我比他高很多。
Wǒ bǐ tā gāo hěn duō.
I'm much taller than he is.
这个比那个贵得多。
Zhège bǐ nàge guì de duō.
This one is far more expensive than that one.
今天比昨天热多了。
Jīntiān bǐ zuótiān rè duō le.
Today's much hotter than yesterday.
我比他大三岁。
Wǒ bǐ tā dà sān suì.
I'm three years older than him.
这本书比那本便宜一点儿。
Zhè běn shū bǐ nà běn piányi yìdiǎnr.
This book is a bit cheaper than that one.
他的中文比我好多了。
Tā de Zhōngwén bǐ wǒ hǎo duō le.
His Chinese is a lot better than mine.
Usage Notes
- 很多 (hěn duō), 得多 (de duō) and 多了 (duō le) all mean "by a lot" and are interchangeable. 多了 (duō le) is the most spoken.
- The 得 (de) of 得多 is the same 得 as in the degree complement, and it is neutral tone: guì de duō.
- For an exact difference, the number and its measure word go in the same slot: 大三岁 (dà sān suì)、高两米 (gāo liǎng mǐ)、贵二十块 (guì èrshí kuài).
- 一点儿 (yìdiǎnr) in this slot means "a bit more", not "a bit too much" — that is 有点儿 (yǒudiǎnr), and it never appears in a 比 sentence.
- 更 (gèng) and a quantity do not stack: ❌ 我比他更高很多 (wǒ bǐ tā gèng gāo hěn duō). Pick one.