越
more (in 越...越... construction); to exceed
yuè
What does 越 mean?
越 (yuè) is the Chinese adverb used to express progressive change — 'the more X, the more Y.' The core pattern is 越...越... — 越多越好 ('the more, the better'); 越快越好 ('the faster, the better'); 雨越下越大 ('the rain falls heavier and heavier'). A second, equally common pattern is 越来越... ('more and more...'
): 天气越来越冷 ('the weather is getting colder and colder'); 我越来越喜欢中文 ('I like Chinese more and more'). 越来越 always precedes a stative verb or adjective. As a standalone verb, 越 can mean 'to exceed; to cross over' (越过), but this use is more written. In daily speech, 越 lives almost entirely inside the two patterns above. Don't try to use 越 alone as 'more' — that's 更 (gèng) for plain comparison ('this one is better' = 这个更好)
Character breakdown
to exceed; to surpass; the more...
Memory hook: Think of 越 as 'climbing over' — the more you climb, the higher you go; X increases, so does Y.
Example sentences
天气越来越冷了。
Tiānqì yuè lái yuè lěng le.
The weather is getting colder and colder.
spoken
我越来越喜欢中文。
Wǒ yuè lái yuè xǐhuan Zhōngwén.
I like Chinese more and more.
spoken
雨越下越大。
Yǔ yuè xià yuè dà.
The rain is falling harder and harder.
neutral
越多人来越好。
Yuè duō rén lái yuè hǎo.
The more people come, the better.
spoken
他跑得越来越快。
Tā pǎo de yuè lái yuè kuài.
He's running faster and faster.
neutral
Common phrases with 越
Synonyms
Don't confuse 越 with
FAQ
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