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
他的中文越来越好。
Tā de Zhōngwén yuè lái yuè hǎo.
His Chinese is getting better and better.
城市的空气越来越差。
Chéngshì de kōngqì yuè lái yuè chà.
The city's air is getting worse and worse.
我越来越想回家。
Wǒ yuè lái yuè xiǎng huí jiā.
I want to go home more and more.
天气越来越冷。
Tiānqì yuè lái yuè lěng.
The weather is getting colder and colder.
我越来越喜欢这个城市。
Wǒ yuè lái yuè xǐhuān zhège chéngshì.
I like this city more and more.
她的中文越来越好了。
Tā de Zhōngwén yuè lái yuè hǎo le.
Her Chinese is getting better and better.
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.
城市里的车越来越多。
Chéngshì lǐ de chē yuèláiyuè duō.
There are more and more cars in the city.
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 ...
Two qualities linked: 'the more X, the more Y.' '越吃越想吃'. 越来越 tracks ONE quality changing over time.
更 + Adj
更 = a single step up ('better'). 越来越 = a continuous slope. '更好' is a comparison; '越来越好' is a trajectory.
一天比一天 + Adj
Stronger image of daily incremental change. Same direction as 越来越; slightly more literary and visual.
越 ... 越 ...
Conditional, not temporal: 'the more X, the more Y.' '越吃越想吃' (the more I eat, the more I want to eat). 越来越 needs only one quality and tracks change over time.
更 + Adj
更 = a single bump up ('better, taller, more'), one step. 越来越 = a continuous climb. '今年更冷' (colder this year) vs. '今年越来越冷' (getting colder and colder).
Practice
天气 ___ 热了。
Show answer
越来越
她越来越 ___ 自己的工作。
Show answer
喜欢
Put in order: [越来越 / 用 / 多 / 这个 / 人 / app / 的]
Show answer
用这个app的人越来越多。
Translate to Chinese: 'The kids are getting taller and taller.'
Show answer
孩子们越来越高了。
Write one sentence about a change you've noticed recently, using 越来越.
Show answer
Example answer: 我最近越来越忙了。 (I've been getting busier and busier lately.)
最近房价 ___ 高。
Show answer
越来越
他越来越 ___ 自己的工作。
Show answer
喜欢
Put in order: [越来越 / 多 / 学中文 / 人 / 的]
Show answer
学中文的人越来越多。
Translate to Chinese: 'The traffic is getting worse and worse.'
Show answer
交通越来越差。
Write one sentence about a trend you've noticed, using 越来越.
Show answer
Example answer: 现在年轻人越来越喜欢喝咖啡。 (Young people are liking coffee more and more these days.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 20 Fluentide episodes. Press play to hear the sentence:
中国的车越来越不像车了。
Chinese cars are less and less like cars.
Seres Patents Toilet for Chinese EVBeginner
这种不满在美国越来越普遍。
This kind of frustration is becoming more common in America.
California Warehouse Arson Destroys $650M GoodsElementary
电脑越来越厉害了。
Computers are getting more and more powerful.
China Publishes 470 AI Micro-Dramas a DayBeginner
人太累了做的东西质量就差了。
When people are too tired, the quality of their work drops.
Ctrip Tests 45 Days of No-Reason LeaveIntermediate
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 越来越... in real Chinese, not in a textbook.
Fluentide picks the next news episode at your level, so this pattern shows up again and again in real context. The transcript marks it, the audio drills it. Free to start.