比如：X，比如：Y
Reach for this when you're stacking two or more examples to back up a claim — 'for instance X, for instance Y.' Repeating 比如 (rather than saying it once with a list) is a stylistic choice that makes each example land with its own weight. It shows up in op-eds, analysis pieces, and any commentary where the writer wants the examples to feel deliberate and damning rather than tossed off in a single breath.
Structure
[CLAIM]。 比如: [EXAMPLE 1]。 比如: [EXAMPLE 2]。
bǐrú: ..., bǐrú: ...
How to Think About It
Single 比如 is conversational; repeated 比如 is rhetorical. Each repetition restarts the spotlight, forcing the reader to weigh that example alone before moving on. Native writers reach for this when the examples are heavier than usual — costs going up, risks compounding, problems piling on. If the examples are light and friendly, plain 比如 with a comma list reads better. The colon after 比如 (full-width) is standard for this stacked-list register.
Examples
现在的问题不少。比如: 房子太贵。比如: 工作太累。
Xiànzài de wèntí bù shǎo. Bǐrú: fángzi tài guì. Bǐrú: gōngzuò tài lèi.
There are plenty of problems right now. For instance: housing is too expensive. For instance: work is too exhausting.
他做的事很有意思。比如: 学画画。比如: 自己写小说。
Tā zuò de shì hěn yǒu yìsi. Bǐrú: xué huà huà. Bǐrú: zìjǐ xiě xiǎoshuō.
The things he does are interesting. For example: he learns to paint. For example: he writes his own novels.
这部电影有几个问题。比如: 故事太慢。比如: 主角不讨喜。
Zhè bù diànyǐng yǒu jǐ ge wèntí. Bǐrú: gùshi tài màn. Bǐrú: zhǔjué bù tǎoxǐ.
This film has a few issues. For instance: the story is too slow. For instance: the lead isn't likable.
Common Mistake
Learners drop 比如 in front of every item out of habit even when the examples are short and light, which makes the prose feel pompous. The repeated 比如 carries weight — save it for parallel cases that deserve their own beat. For grocery lists, use 比如 once.
我喜欢的水果, 比如苹果, 比如香蕉, 比如橙子, 比如葡萄。
我喜欢的水果, 比如苹果、香蕉、橙子和葡萄。
Don't Confuse With
比如
The single-use form. Use plain 比如 (with a comma list after it) for casual or short examples. Repeat 比如 only when each example is meaty enough to stand on its own.
例如
More formal / written register. Common in textbooks, reports, and academic writing. 例如 doesn't usually get repeated the way 比如 does.
像 X 这样的
Means 'things like X.' Used INSIDE a sentence to gesture at a category, not to list examples as a follow-up. Different sentence shape entirely.
Practice
他有很多爱好。___: 跑步。比如: 看书。
Show answer
比如
中国的大城市有很多。比如: 北京。___: 上海。
Show answer
比如
Put in order: [比如 / 比如 / 问题 / 不少 / 钱 / 时间]
Show answer
问题不少。比如: 钱。比如: 时间。
Translate to Chinese: 'This city has many advantages. For instance: the food. For instance: the people.'
Show answer
这个城市有很多优点。比如: 吃的。比如: 人。
Write two or three short lines making a claim and backing it up with stacked 比如: examples.
Show answer
Example answer: 学中文不容易。比如: 汉字很多。比如: 声调很难。 (Learning Chinese isn't easy. For instance: there are many characters. For instance: the tones are hard.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: