X 越来越 + Adj
Use 越来越 + adjective to say something is getting more and more [adjective] over time — 天气越来越冷 (the weather is getting colder and colder), 中文越来越难 (Chinese is getting harder and harder). It's a one-stop way to describe a trend in one direction. The subject before 越来越 is what's changing, and the adjective tells you how.
Structure
[X] 越来越 [ADJECTIVE]
yuèláiyuè [ADJ]
How to Think About It
越来越 packages 'over time, in this direction' into three characters. The trend keeps moving in one direction along the dimension named by the adjective — there's no comparison to a specific point, just a sense of continuous change. That's why 越来越 + adjective takes no 很, 非常, or other degree adverb in front of the adjective: the 越来越 already carries all the intensifying work.
Examples
他的中文越来越好。
Tā de Zhōngwén yuèláiyuè hǎo.
His Chinese is getting better and better.
城市里的车越来越多。
Chéngshì lǐ de chē yuèláiyuè duō.
There are more and more cars in the city.
天气越来越暖和了。
Tiānqì yuèláiyuè nuǎnhuo le.
The weather is getting warmer and warmer.
Common Mistake
Learners stick 很 in front of the adjective to mimic the comfortable Subject + 很 + Adj pattern. With 越来越, 很 is redundant and ungrammatical — the 越来越 already provides the degree dimension.
天气越来越很冷。
天气越来越冷。
Don't Confuse With
越...越...
越X越Y links two changing dimensions ('the more X, the more Y'). 越来越 + adj only tracks one quality changing over time.
比以前 + 更/还 + Adjective
Use 比以前更 to compare with a fixed past point. 越来越 is open-ended — the change is ongoing, not measured against one moment.
Adjective + 起来
Adjective + 起来 (热起来了) marks the start of a change. 越来越 + adj marks the change as already in progress and continuing.
Practice
Fill in the blank: 房子的价格越来越___。 (expensive)
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贵
Fill in the blank: 我的中文___来越好。
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越
Arrange: 越来越 / 多 / 学中文 / 人 / 的
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学中文的人越来越多。
Translate to Chinese: The food here is getting more and more delicious.
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这里的菜越来越好吃。
Write a sentence with 越来越 + adj about something changing in your life.
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我对中国文化越来越感兴趣。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 5 Fluentide episodes:
电脑越来越聪明。
心里慢慢就安静了。
比赛的票一下子就卖完了。