比...多/大 + amount
Reach for this when you want to quantify exactly how much bigger or greater A is than B — 'A is more / bigger than B by [amount].' It extends the basic 比 comparison by tacking the gap on at the end. The amount can be a number (多三十八), a fraction (多三分之一), a measure phrase (大很多), or a vague quantifier (多一点). Native speakers reach for this constantly in business and news contexts where the size of the gap matters.
Structure
[A] 比 [B] [多 / 大 / 高 / 长 / ...] [AMOUNT]
[A] bǐ [B] [ADJ] [AMOUNT]
How to Think About It
The amount lives at the end, never in the middle. Chinese builds the comparison left to right: first 'A vs. B,' then the dimension (多, 大, 高), then the gap. Putting the amount before the adjective sounds backward, like 'A than B by 38 more.' Once you internalize the slot order — A 比 B + ADJ + AMOUNT — every variant fits the same mold: 多了三分之一, 大了一倍, 高了十厘米.
Examples
今年的订单比去年多了三分之一。
Jīnnián de dìngdān bǐ qùnián duō le sān fēn zhī yī.
This year's orders are a third more than last year's.
这个房间比那个大十平方米。
Zhège fángjiān bǐ nàge dà shí píngfāng mǐ.
This room is ten square meters bigger than that one.
他比我高五厘米。
Tā bǐ wǒ gāo wǔ límǐ.
He's five centimeters taller than me.
Common Mistake
Learners put the amount before the adjective by transferring English word order ('38 more than'). In Chinese the amount has to follow the adjective, often with 了 to mark the change.
今年比去年三十八多了。
今年比去年多了三十八。
Don't Confuse With
[A] 比 [B] 多很多
多很多 expresses a vague large gap. Add a numeric amount when you know the exact size; use 多很多 / 多一点 when you don't.
[A] 比 [B] 多一倍
多一倍 means 'twice as much.' Be careful: 多一倍 = 2×B, not 1×B + 1. Use it only when you mean 'double.'
[A] 是 [B] 的 [N] 倍
Use this when expressing a multiplier ('A is N times B'). 比...多...is for the gap; ...是...的...倍 is for the ratio.
Practice
Fill in the blank: 今年的订单比去年 ___ 了三分之一。
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多
Fill in the blank: 这个房间比那个大十 ___ 米。
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平方
Arrange: 高 / 我 / 五厘米 / 比 / 他 / 。
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他比我高五厘米。
Translate to Chinese: This year's orders are a third more than last year's.
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今年的订单比去年多了三分之一。
Write a sentence using 比...多/大 + amount to compare two things you know.
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新办公室比老办公室大三十平方米。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: