比...大
The bread-and-butter way to say 'X is bigger than Y' in Chinese. 比 marks the thing you're comparing against, and the adjective 大 (or any other adjective) follows. Reach for it whenever you want a direct, side-by-side comparison of size, age, scale, amount, or anything else 大 can describe. Modifiers like 一点 (a bit), 得多 (much), or specific quantities go AFTER the adjective, not before — that's the part most learners get wrong.
Structure
[A] 比 [B] 大 (+ [DEGREE])
bǐ... dà
How to Think About It
Read 比 as a one-way arrow: A 比 B 大 means the arrow points from A down to B — A wins on the 'big' axis. Unlike English 'than,' you can't shuffle words around. The thing being measured comes first, 比 sits in the middle, and the winning adjective comes last. Degree information piles on the END.
Examples
我的手机比你的大。
Wǒ de shǒujī bǐ nǐ de dà.
My phone is bigger than yours.
北京比上海大一点。
Běijīng bǐ Shànghǎi dà yìdiǎn.
Beijing is a little bigger than Shanghai.
这个市场比去年大得多。
Zhège shìchǎng bǐ qùnián dà de duō.
This market is much bigger than last year.
Common Mistake
Learners reach for 很 to intensify the comparison ('much bigger') and place it before 大. With 比, the degree marker goes AFTER 大: 比 X 大得多, 比 X 大一点. Saying 比 X 很大 is ungrammatical.
我的房间比他的很大。
我的房间比他的大得多。
Don't Confuse With
比...更大
Adds 更 for stronger emphasis ('even bigger'). Use when B is already big and A surpasses it.
没有...大
Negative form — 'not as big as.' Use when A loses the comparison: A 没有 B 大.
跟...一样大
Equality — 'the same size as.' Use when neither side wins; the items are equal.
Practice
他 ____ 我大三岁。
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比
这个房子比那个 ____ 一点。
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大
Arrange: 大 / 比 / 我 / 你 / 得多
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你比我大得多。
Translate: This city is bigger than my hometown.
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这个城市比我的家乡大。
Compare two things you own using 比...大.
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我的新电脑比旧的大一点。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode:
Related Grammar Patterns
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Hear 比...大 in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
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