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HSK 3

更

even more; further; still more

adverbneutral
更
gèng4th tone

HSK level

1
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Pinyin
gèng
Part of speech
adverb
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
7
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 更

更 is written with 7 strokes. The animation replays automatically.

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 is 'taller / even taller,' 最高 is 'tallest.' 更 lives on the comparative middle rung.

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

Common phrases with 更

更好gèng hǎoeven better
更多gèng duōeven more
更大gèng dàeven bigger
更喜欢gèng xǐhuanto like even more / prefer
更重要gèng zhòngyàoeven more important

Synonyms

还hái

还 + adjective means 'even more so' in a softer, more conversational way (还有更好的吗 — is there an even better one?). 更 is sharper and more clearly comparative. Both can appear together: 还更好 (even better still).

比较bǐjiào

比较 means 'relatively / fairly' (比较好 — fairly good). 更 means 'even more' (更好 — even better). 比较 softens; 更 intensifies a comparison.

Don't confuse 更 with

很hěn

很 means 'very' (and often just neutral filler before an adjective). 更 is comparative — 'even more.' 很好 = good; 更好 = better; very different jobs.

最zuì

最 is the superlative 'most / -est' (最好 — best). 更 is comparative 'even more / -er' (更好 — better). One rung apart.

再zài

再 means 'again / one more time' for actions (再说一遍 — say it again). 更 modifies adjectives ('more so'). Don't say 更说一遍.

Frequently asked questions

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