2 · Comparison
The same and different: gēn … yíyàng
comparison of equality
A gēn B yíyàng says that A and B are the same; an adjective after it says in what way.
一样 means “the same”, and 跟 (“with”) brings in the thing compared with: 我的手机跟你的一样, “my phone is the same as yours”. 和 can replace 跟; it is a little more formal and is the usual choice in writing.
To say in what way two things are alike, put the adjective after 一样: 他跟我一样高, “he is as tall as me”, literally “he with me the same tall”. English wraps “tall” in two “as”es; Chinese keeps the frame A 跟 B 一样 and adds the adjective at the end. Verbs of liking and wanting fit in the same place: 我跟他一样喜欢喝茶.
“Different” is 不一样, and the 不 belongs directly before 一样, not before 跟: 我的想法跟你的不一样. A question simply adds 吗, or asks 一样不一样？.
Before a noun, 一样 takes 的: 一样的衣服, “the same clothes”. Mind the tone: 一 is said yí here, because the next syllable has the fourth tone, and this site writes it that way.
The form
| A is the same as B | 我的包跟你的一样。 |
| as tall as | 他跟我一样高。 |
| different | 我的想法跟你的不一样。 |
| a question | 你的跟他的一样吗？ |
| more formal: hé | 今天和昨天一样热。 |
| the same + noun | 我们穿了一样的衣服。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
A 跟 B 一样 says that A and B are the same.
我的生日跟你的一样。My birthday is the same as yours.
The adjective comes after 一样: “as tall as” is “the same tall”.
妹妹跟妈妈一样漂亮。My younger sister is as pretty as my mother.
For “different”, put 不 before 一样, not before 跟.
这儿的天气跟我老家不一样。The weather here is different from my hometown.
和 can replace 跟; it is a little more formal.
我和他一样喜欢喝茶。I like drinking tea just as much as he does.
Before a noun, 一样 takes 的 and means “the same …”.
我们买了一样的手机。We bought the same phone.
A closer look
Like: xiàng … yíyàng
When two things are not the same but resemble each other, 像 (“to resemble”) takes the place of 跟: 她像她妈妈一样爱笑, “like her mother, she laughs a lot”. The same frame makes similes: 像孩子一样, “like a child”.
In formal writing 相同 often replaces 一样, especially before a noun: 相同的问题, “the same problem”. In conversation 一样 is the word for everything.
Exceptions and special cases (1)
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you mean “not as … as”
use 没有, not 跟 … 不一样 with an adjective.
我没有他那么高。I am not as tall as him.
跟他不一样高 only says that the two heights differ, without saying who is taller; 没有 says which way the difference goes.
How to spot it
- 跟…一样
- 和…一样
- 不一样
- 一样的
Example sentences
你的鞋跟我的一样！Your shoes are the same as mine!
今天跟昨天一样冷。Today is as cold as yesterday.
南方人的口味跟北方人的不一样。People in the south have different tastes in food from people in the north.
他的想法和我的一样。His view is the same as mine.
这两个词的意思一样吗？Do these two words mean the same thing?
我想要跟她一样的蛋糕。I would like the same cake as she has.
7 more example sentences
我跟你一样，也是第一次来中国。Like you, I am in China for the first time.
这件衣服的颜色跟那件不一样。This top is a different colour from that one.
他们俩长得一样高。The two of them are the same height.
你的答案跟我的一样吗？Is your answer the same as mine?
哥哥和弟弟一样喜欢踢足球。The older brother loves football just as much as the younger one.
在中国过生日跟在英国不太一样。Celebrating a birthday in China is not quite the same as in Britain.
我们俩点了一样的菜。The two of us ordered the same dish.
Worth knowing (1)
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About the same: chàbuduō
When two things are nearly but not exactly the same, 差不多 (“not much difference”) takes the place of 一样, and it can stand directly before an adjective.
我们俩差不多高。The two of us are about the same height.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English says “as tall as me”, with the person compared with at the end. Chinese brings that person in first, with 跟, and lets the adjective close the sentence: A, 跟 B, 一样, adjective.
A gēn B yíyàng, then the adjective — and bù goes right before yíyàng.
Your turn
9 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.