越来越 + Adjective/Verb
Reach for 越来越 when something keeps changing in the same direction over time — 'more and more [busy / popular / hard].' Drop it directly in front of an adjective or a stative/mental verb to mark an ongoing trend. Goes with weather, prices, skills, popularity, feelings — anything that climbs or sinks gradually. Equally useful for positive ('更好') and negative ('更糟') trajectories.
Structure
[SUBJECT] 越来越 [ADJECTIVE / STATIVE VERB]
yuè lái yuè [ADJ / VERB]
How to Think About It
越来越 packs a time-arrow into a single phrase. 越 + 来 + 越 literally hints 'as it comes, more so' — each tick of time pushes the quality further. Because the arrow is already inside, you usually don't need 'now' or 'gradually' to be added on top. The slot must be a quality (adjective, stative verb, mental verb like 喜欢 / 想 / 了解), not a plain action verb — '越来越跑' doesn't work, but '越来越爱跑步' does.
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.
Common Mistake
Learners pair 越来越 with action verbs (跑, 写, 看) expecting 'do more and more.' That doesn't work — 越来越 needs adjectives or stative/mental verbs. For action quantity, restructure with '越来越多 + 人 + verb' or '越来越喜欢 + verb'.
她越来越读书。
她越来越喜欢读书。
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.
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.)
Hear It in Real Episodes
This pattern appears in 2 Fluentide episodes:
Related Grammar Patterns
Acquire by listening
Hear 越来越 + Adjective/Verb 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, no card.