更
even more; further; still more
gèng
What does 更 mean?
更 (gèng) is an adverb that pushes a comparison one notch higher — 'even more.' It always sits IMMEDIATELY before an adjective or stative verb: 更好 (even better), 更大 (even bigger), 更喜欢 (like even more). The crucial point for English speakers: 更 already implies a comparison with something previous, so you do NOT add 比 (bǐ) unless you want to name what you're comparing to (今天比昨天更冷 — today is even colder than yesterday).
Without 比, 更 just signals 'more so than before / than the other one.' Don't confuse it with 很 (hěn — 'very') or 最 (zuì — 'most'): 很高 is just 'tall,' 更高
Character breakdown
even more; further (also pronounced gēng — to change, to renew)
Memory hook: Think of 更 as a 'plus one' button — whatever the baseline is, 更 bumps it one level higher.
Example sentences
今天比昨天更冷。
Jīntiān bǐ zuótiān gèng lěng.
Today is even colder than yesterday.
neutral
我更喜欢喝茶。
Wǒ gèng xǐhuan hē chá.
I prefer drinking tea (even more).
spoken
这个比那个更好。
Zhège bǐ nàge gèng hǎo.
This one is even better than that one.
neutral
学中文比学英文更难。
Xué Zhōngwén bǐ xué Yīngwén gèng nán.
Learning Chinese is even harder than learning English.
neutral