en
cs
da
de
it
plBǐ 比, gēn 跟… yíyàng 一样/一樣, yǒu 有and méi yǒu 没有/沒有 are all used to make comparisons in Chinese. Below is an overview of the different structures and what kind of comparison they each indicate.
For more details of the structures of each pattern also check bǐ 比, gēn 跟… yíyàng一样/一樣, and comparative structures using yǒu 有 and méi yǒu 没有/沒有.
Comparison of structures
Comparison of negation
Functions
Expressing equality
When you want to show comparative similarity or dissimilarity, the most common pattern involves gēn 跟 ’with, compared with’ and yíyàng 一样/一樣 ‘the same, identical, alike’. This pattern can be used in two ways. One way is to indicate general identity, that is, to indicate whether two things or people are the same or not.
The other way is to indicate similarity in terms of specific features, like height, price, size, difficulty or ability. Yíyàng 一样/一樣 is followed by an adjective indicating the feature compared.
Another less common way to express equality is using the pattern with yǒu 有. In comparisons with gēn 跟 ’with, compared with’ and yíyàng 一样/一樣 ‘the same, identical, alike’ focus is on the sameness of the things or people compared. In comparisons with yǒu 有 focus is on whether the first thing or person has the same degree of a feature as the second.
Zhème 这么/這麼 ‘so; like this’ or nàme 那么/那麼 ‘so; like that’ are typically used to emphasise the extent to which the second item possesses a feature.
Comparisons with yǒu 有 are rarely completely neutral. Yǒu 有 often appears in rhetorical questions or contexts where the speaker doubts or challenges a comparison.
Gēn 跟 ’with, compared with’ and yíyàng 一样/一樣 ‘the same, identical, alike’ can only show sameness, whether the things or people compared are the same in identity, status, etc. or whether they possess the same feature. In some cases, particularly rhetorical or contrastive contexts, comparisons with yǒu 有 may imply that A equals or even surpasses B in the feature being compared.
The negative form bù bǐ 不比 can also indicate that the things or people being compared possess an equal degree of the feature compared. This structure is mainly used to negate a sentence with bǐ 比 and can also indicate that ‘A is not more … than B’.
To sum up: Equality in Chinese is mainly expressed with gēn 跟 and yíyàng 一样/一樣 and sometimes with yǒu … nàme/zhème 有…那么/这么/那麼/這麼, indicating that two things are identical or equal in a specific attribute or feature.
Expressing inequality
Superiority
When you want to show the difference or disparity, the most common way is to use bǐ 比 ‘to compare with/to’. It functions like the English ‘more than’ and can compare the difference or disparity of people or things, describe changes in different situations and indicate changes over time. It indicates a difference in property such as degree, quality or characteristics. The first thing or person mentioned is always the one who possesses more of the feature being compared.
Yǒu 有 is another less common way to express superiority in a comparison. Yǒu 有 usually focuses on whether the first thing or person has the same degree of a feature as the second. But might also indicate that the first thing or person is superior in the feature. Note yǒu 有 is rarely used in this connotation.
To sum up: Superiority is typically expressed with bǐ 比, showing that A has more of a certain quality than B. Yǒu … nàme/zhème 有…那么/这么/那麼/這麼 may occasionally suggest superiority in rhetorical or contrastive contexts.
Inferiority
The most common way to indicate that the first thing or person in a comparison is inferior to the second is méi yǒu 没有/沒有. It functions similarly to the English phrase ‘not as… as’ and indicates that the first item or person being compared does not possess the feature compared (e.g. degree, quality, characteristics, or condition) to the same extent as the second.
Another way to express inferiority is bù bǐ 不比. While méi yǒu 没有/沒有 always express the inferiority of the first thing or person in the comparison, bù bǐ 不比 can also indicate that the feature of things or persons compared are the same. Bù bǐ 不比 is the less common of the two and carries a tone of refutation.
To sum up: Inferiority is most commonly shown with is méi yǒu 没有/沒有, meaning A has less of the quality than B. Bù bǐ 不比 negates a bǐ 比-sentence and often carries a tone of refutation, suggesting A is not better — possibly equal or worse.