越来越 + Adjective
Use 越来越 + adjective when you want to say something is getting more and more X over time — hotter, busier, more interesting. It's the everyday way Chinese expresses gradual change. Stick 越来越 directly in front of an adjective or stative verb and the meaning is automatic: 越来越热 'hotter and hotter,' 越来越喜欢 'liking it more and more.' This is one of the first 'change over time' tools you reach for in conversation.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 越来越 [ADJECTIVE]
yuè lái yuè + [ADJECTIVE]
How to Think About It
Read 越来越 literally: 'as it comes, more.' The first 越 sets up the comparison, 来 marks the passage of time, the second 越 delivers the intensification. It's a single locked unit — you cannot break it up, swap the order, or insert anything between the 越's. Whatever follows gets pushed in one direction, monotonically, with time as the driver.
Examples
天气越来越冷了。
Tiānqì yuè lái yuè lěng le.
The weather is getting colder and colder.
她的中文越来越好。
Tā de Zhōngwén yuè lái yuè hǎo.
Her Chinese is getting better and better.
城市里的人越来越多。
Chéngshì lǐ de rén yuè lái yuè duō.
There are more and more people in the city.
Common Mistake
Learners attach 很 or 非常 to the adjective by reflex, since other intensifiers work that way. 越来越 already carries the intensification — adding 很 doubles up and sounds wrong.
天气越来越很冷。
天气越来越冷。
Don't Confuse With
越……越……
Links two things: 'the more A, the more B' (越吃越想吃). 越来越 just says one thing is increasing on its own over time.
更 + Adjective
更 is a single-step comparison ('this one is more expensive'). 越来越 is gradual change with no fixed comparison point.
Adjective + 了
了 marks that a change has happened ('it's gotten cold'). 越来越 marks that the change is ongoing and continues to intensify.
Practice
他跑步____快。
Show answer
越来越
学中文越来____有意思。
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越
Arrange: 贵 / 这里的 / 越来越 / 房子
Show answer
这里的房子越来越贵。
Translate: This movie is getting more and more interesting.
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这部电影越来越有意思。
Write one sentence using 越来越 about a change you've noticed.
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最近我朋友越来越喜欢做饭，每周都尝试新菜。
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 1 Fluentide episode: