3 · Comparison
How much more: amounts after the adjective
the size of the difference
The size of a difference comes after the adjective: a little, much, or an exact amount.
English puts the size of a difference in front: “two years older”, “much bigger”, “a little cheaper”. Chinese puts it after the adjective: 他比我大两岁, literally “he, compared with me, old two years”. The vague amounts go into exactly the same slot: 一点儿 for “a little”, and 得多 or 多了 for “much”.
得多 and 多了 both mean “much more”. 得多 is the neutral form, at home in speech and in writing; 多了 is more conversational and often sounds a little exclamatory, as if the speaker has just noticed the difference. Neither can move in front of the adjective: “much taller” is 高得多, never 很多高, and never 非常高.
An exact difference is a number with its measure word: years with 岁, money with 块, time with 分钟 or 年, weight with 公斤: 这件比那件贵五十块. When the comparison is about doing something earlier, later, more or less, 早, 晚, 多 or 少 stand before the verb and the amount comes after it: 他比我早到了十分钟.
One more trap sits in 一点儿. After the adjective it measures a difference: 贵一点儿, “a little more expensive”. Before the adjective, as 有一点儿, it is a mild complaint: 有一点儿贵, “a bit too expensive”. English uses “a bit” for both, and that is exactly where the two get mixed up.
The form
| a little more | 今天比昨天冷一点儿。 |
| much more (neutral) | 今天比昨天冷得多。 |
| much more (conversational) | 今天比昨天冷多了。 |
| an exact difference | 他比我大两岁。 |
| earlier, with a verb | 他比我早到了十分钟。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
The amount comes after the adjective, never before it.
我妹妹比我小三岁。My younger sister is three years younger than me.
“A little more” is 一点儿 after the adjective.
这个房间比那个安静一点儿。This room is a little quieter than that one.
“Much more” is 得多 or, more casually, 多了, after the adjective.
坐高铁比坐汽车快得多。The high-speed train is much faster than the coach.
With 早, 晚, 多 or 少 before a verb, the amount comes after the verb.
我比他晚来了半个小时。I came half an hour later than he did.
A closer look
Comparing without bǐ
Very often the thing being compared with is obvious, and 比 is left out altogether. The amount after the adjective is then the only sign of a comparison: 快一点儿, “a bit faster (than now)”; 有没有大一点儿的？, “do you have a bigger one?”. This is the everyday language of shops, restaurants and polite requests.
In relaxed speech 一点儿 shrinks to 点儿: 便宜点儿, 慢点儿. In writing and in the south you will also meet 一些 in the same place: 好一些, “somewhat better”.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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the adjective is 多 or 少 itself and there is a noun
the noun follows the amount: “more people”, “fewer books”.
我们班比他们班多五个学生。Our class has five more students than theirs.
多 and 少 describe a quantity of something, and the something has to be named after the number.
How to spot it
- 一点儿
- 得多
- 多了
- 比…岁
Example sentences
哥哥比我高十厘米。My older brother is ten centimetres taller than me.
这家店的咖啡比那家便宜五块钱。The coffee in this café is five yuan cheaper than in that one.
今天的作业比昨天的难多了！Today's homework is much harder than yesterday's!
你的字比以前好看得多。Your handwriting is much neater than it used to be.
能不能便宜一点儿？Could you make it a little cheaper?
她比我多等了二十分钟。She waited twenty minutes longer than I did.
8 more example sentences
今天比昨天暖和一点儿。Today is a little warmer than yesterday.
他比他哥哥小五岁。He is five years younger than his older brother.
这条裤子比那条贵一百块。These trousers cost a hundred yuan more than those.
住在城外比住在市中心安静多了。Living outside the city is much quieter than living in the centre.
我比你早到了十分钟。I got here ten minutes earlier than you.
这次考试比上次容易得多。This exam was much easier than the last one.
你说得太快了，能说慢一点儿吗？You are speaking too fast — could you speak a little more slowly?
我比上个月重了两公斤。I am two kilos heavier than last month.
Worth knowing (1)
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Yìdiǎnr before and after the adjective
After the adjective, 一点儿 asks for or describes a little more of something; before it, as 有一点儿, it complains that there is already a little too much. A shopper can use both in one breath.
这双鞋有一点儿小，有没有大一点儿的？These shoes are a bit small — do you have a slightly bigger pair?
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English puts “much” in front of “taller”, so the first attempt is often 很多 in front of the adjective. Chinese keeps everything that measures a difference behind the adjective: 高得多, 高多了, 高一点儿.
The difference comes last: adjective first, then yìdiǎnr, de duō or the exact amount.
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.