Comparison using 比
Reach for 比 whenever you want to say one thing is more (or less) something than another. It's the everyday workhorse for comparisons in Chinese — taller, cheaper, faster, smarter. The structure is rigid: name the two things on either side of 比, then put the adjective at the end. You can also add a degree word at the end (一点儿, 多了, 得多) to say how much more.
Structure
[A] 比 [B] [ADJECTIVE] ([DEGREE])
[A] bǐ [B] [ADJECTIVE]...
How to Think About It
Chinese puts the score difference at the END, not before the adjective. English says 'much taller'; Chinese says 'taller by a lot' — 高多了. Never put 很 or 非常 in front of the adjective inside a 比 sentence; those words mean 'very' in isolation but break the comparison logic here. The slot after the adjective is where degree lives.
Examples
我哥哥比我高。
Wǒ gēge bǐ wǒ gāo.
My older brother is taller than me.
今天比昨天冷得多。
Jīntiān bǐ zuótiān lěng de duō.
Today is much colder than yesterday.
这个比那个贵一百块。
Zhège bǐ nàge guì yī bǎi kuài.
This one is one hundred yuan more expensive than that one.
Common Mistake
Learners add 很 or 非常 before the adjective, the way you'd say 'much more expensive' in English. In a 比 sentence, those modifiers are ungrammatical — use 多了, 得多, or a measurement instead.
这个比那个很贵。
这个比那个贵得多。
Don't Confuse With
A 没有 B [ADJ]
Use 没有 for the negative ('A is not as ADJ as B'). 不比 exists but means 'not necessarily more than,' which is different.
A 跟 B 一样 [ADJ]
Use 一样 when the two things are equal. 比 always asserts a difference.
A 比 B 更 [ADJ]
Adding 更 is fine and emphasizes that B is already ADJ and A goes further. Without 更, the comparison is neutral.
Practice
我哥哥____我高。
Show answer
比
今天比昨天冷____。
Show answer
得多
Arrange: 那个 / 这个 / 一点儿 / 比 / 便宜
Show answer
这个比那个便宜一点儿。
This is much cheaper than seeing a private doctor in the UK.
Show answer
这比在英国看私人医生便宜得多。
Write a sentence comparing two cities you know using 比.
Show answer
北京冬天比上海冷得多。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: