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HSK 3

比如

for example; for instance

verbneutral
比
bǐ3rd tone
如
rú2nd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
bǐrú
Part of speech
verb
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
10
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 比如

比如 is written with 10 strokes (比: 4, 如: 6). The animation replays automatically.

What does 比如 mean?

比如 (bǐrú) means 'for example' or 'for instance' — the discourse marker speakers and writers use to introduce a concrete example after a general statement.

Literally 'compare like,' it positions the example as a representative case. Two contrasts with English will help learners: first, while English 'for example' can sit at the start, middle, or end of a clause, 比如 almost always introduces the example directly — '我喜欢水果，比如苹果、香蕉' (I like fruits, for example apples and bananas), not after the list. Second, 比如 often pairs with 说 ('say') to give 比如说 — a slightly softer, more spoken opener equivalent to 'like, say...'

or 'for instance, say...' Both forms are fully natural in conversation. Use 例如 in formal essays and reports, 比如 / 比如说 in speech, lectures, and most prose.

Note: Works in both spoken and written Chinese. In writing, 例如 (lìrú) is slightly more formal but interchangeable in most contexts; in casual speech, 比如说 (bǐrú shuō) is the most natural opener.

Character by character

比bǐcompare; than
+
如rúlike; as; for instance
=
比如

Memory hook: 比 'compare' + 如 'like' = 'compare it to something like...' — that's how you introduce an example.

Example sentences

我喜欢水果，比如苹果和香蕉。

Wǒ xǐhuan shuǐguǒ, bǐrú píngguǒ hé xiāngjiāo.

I like fruit — for example apples and bananas.

neutral

中国有很多大城市，比如北京、上海。

Zhōngguó yǒu hěn duō dà chéngshì, bǐrú Běijīng, Shànghǎi.

China has many big cities, like Beijing and Shanghai.

neutral

比如说，你周末可以去公园。

Bǐrú shuō, nǐ zhōumò kěyǐ qù gōngyuán.

For instance, you could go to the park on the weekend.

spoken

他会说很多语言，比如中文、英文、日文。

Tā huì shuō hěn duō yǔyán, bǐrú Zhōngwén, Yīngwén, Rìwén.

He speaks many languages, for example Chinese, English, and Japanese.

neutral

你想吃什么？比如饺子怎么样？

Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme? Bǐrú jiǎozi zěnmeyàng?

What do you want to eat? How about dumplings, for instance?

spoken

Common phrases with 比如

比如说bǐrú shuōfor example, say...; like, for instance
比如这样bǐrú zhèyàngfor example, like this
比如下面bǐrú xiàmiànfor example, the following...
举个例子，比如jǔ ge lìzi, bǐrúto give an example, for instance

Synonyms

例如lìrú

例如 is slightly more formal and appears more often in writing, news, and academic prose. 比如 is the everyday spoken default. Both are interchangeable in meaning; register decides.

比方说bǐfāng shuō

比方说 is very colloquial — 'like, say...' Common in casual conversation, especially in northern Mandarin. 比如说 is more universal.

好比hǎobǐ

好比 means 'just like / similar to' — used for analogies and metaphors ('love is just like...'). 比如 introduces a representative example, not an analogy.

Don't confuse 比如 with

比较bǐjiào

比较 means 'to compare' or as an adverb 'relatively / rather' (比较忙 rather busy). 比如 means 'for example.' Both start with 比 but the second character and meaning differ.

如果rúguǒ

如果 means 'if' (conditional). 比如 means 'for example.' Both contain 如 but serve very different grammatical functions.

比bǐ

比 alone is the comparison particle ('A 比 B 大' A is bigger than B). 比如 is the discourse marker 'for example.' Different syntactic role entirely.

FAQ

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