比 X 多 / 多了 + Number
Reach for this when you want to say one thing exceeds another by a specific amount — 'more than X by N.' This is the workhorse for spelling out the gap in a comparison: not just 'I have more books,' but 'I have ten more books than you.' The number always lands AFTER 多 or 多了, never before. Common in price comparisons, age gaps, scores, counts, percentages — anywhere a comparison has a measurable size.
Structure
[A] 比 [B] 多 / 多了 [NUMBER + MEASURE]
bǐ ... duō / duō le ...
How to Think About It
Chinese puts the difference at the END, not in the middle. English says 'three more books than you'; Chinese says '比你多三本书.' The 比-clause sets up the comparison, then 多 / 多了 + amount delivers the gap. 多了 (with 了) signals a completed change or comparison — useful for 'it grew by N.' Plain 多 + amount works for static comparisons.
Examples
我比他大三岁。
Wǒ bǐ tā dà sān suì.
I'm three years older than him.
今年的学生比去年多了五十个。
Jīnnián de xuésheng bǐ qùnián duō le wǔshí ge.
There are fifty more students this year than last year.
这本书比那本贵二十块。
Zhè běn shū bǐ nà běn guì èrshí kuài.
This book is twenty yuan more expensive than that one.
Common Mistake
English speakers want to put the number BEFORE 多, like 'I have three more than you' becoming 我比你三多了. The amount has to come after 多. Same problem with 高, 大, 贵 — the gap always follows the comparison word.
我比他三岁大。
我比他大三岁。
Don't Confuse With
比 X 多得多
Uses 得多 instead of a number when the gap is large but unspecified. '我比他多得多' = 'I have way more than him.' Use a number when you can measure it; 得多 when you can't or won't.
比 X 少 + Number
The mirror pattern for 'less by N.' Same slot order: 比你少十块 = 'ten yuan less than you.' Don't mix 多 with negative amounts.
没有 X 多
Means 'not as much as X' — a negative comparison without a specific number. Use when you want to say A is less without quantifying the gap.
Practice
我家的猫比他家的 ___ 两公斤。
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重
今年的票比去年多了 ___ 倍。
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一
Put in order: [比 / 多 / 我 / 他 / 三 / 本 / 书]
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我比他多三本书。
Translate to Chinese: 'My brother is five years younger than me.'
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我弟弟比我小五岁。
Write one sentence comparing two things you own or know, using 比 X 多 / 多了 + Number.
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Example answer: 今年我比去年多读了十本书。 (This year I read ten more books than last year.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: