越来越...
Reach for this when something is changing gradually in one direction over time — 'more and more X.' '天气越来越冷.' (The weather is getting colder and colder.) Use it for trends, slow build-ups, or anything that's drifting steadily up or down: prices rising, kids growing, traffic worsening, your Chinese improving.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 越来越 [ADJECTIVE/VERB]
yuèláiyuè...
How to Think About It
越来越 means 'as time passes, more.' The 来 in the middle is doing real work — it inserts a sense of motion-through-time. The word that follows is always an adjective or psychological verb (喜欢, 想), never a regular action verb. You can't say '他越来越跑步' (he runs more and more) — you'd say '他越来越喜欢跑步.' If the word doesn't describe a state or feeling, this pattern won't take it.
Examples
天气越来越冷了。
Tiānqì yuèláiyuè lěng le.
The weather is getting colder and colder.
他的中文越来越好。
Tā de Zhōngwén yuèláiyuè hǎo.
His Chinese is getting better and better.
我越来越喜欢这个城市。
Wǒ yuèláiyuè xǐhuān zhège chéngshì.
I like this city more and more.
Common Mistake
Learners put a plain action verb after 越来越, because in English 'more and more' can attach to anything. Chinese 越来越 only takes adjectives and stative/psychological verbs. For a regular action, you need to attach 喜欢/想/会 first.
他越来越学中文。
他越来越喜欢学中文。
Don't Confuse With
越...越...
越...越... links TWO changing things ('the more you eat, the fatter you get'). 越来越... describes ONE thing changing over time ('you're getting fatter'). If only one variable is moving, use 越来越; if two move together, use 越...越....
更加 / 更...
更 compares to a single reference point ('A is more X than B'). 越来越 describes a continuous trend with no comparison partner. '他比我高' uses 更/比; '他越来越高' describes him growing over time.
渐渐
渐渐 (gradually) is an adverb and can attach to any verb: '渐渐睡着了' (gradually fell asleep). 越来越 attaches to adjectives/feelings only and emphasizes increasing degree, not just slow change.
Practice
孩子 ___ 高了。
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越来越
北京的房子越来越 ___。
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贵
Put in order: [越来越 / 中文 / 难 / 学 / 觉得 / 我]
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我觉得学中文越来越难。
Translate to Chinese: 'There are more and more people learning Chinese.'
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学中文的人越来越多。
Describe one trend in your life using 越来越.
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Example answer: 我越来越忙, 没时间看电视了。 (I'm getting busier and busier and don't have time to watch TV.)