Comparatives show relative degree between two things, while superlatives highlight the extreme degree within a group. Mandarin uses specific structures and adverbs to make comparisons clear.
Comparative
More / Less
Mandarin comparisons typically use yǐjīng 已经 or bǐ 比 to mark the thing being compared, with gèng 更 or duō 多 to signal "more." For "less," shǎo 少 is used.
Examples
I want to eat more than you.
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏀 篮球比足球更受欢迎。 | Lánqiú bǐ zúqiú gèng shòu huānyíng. | Basketball is more popular than soccer. | |
| 🍵 这杯茶比那杯茶甜一点。 | Zhè bēi chá bǐ nà bēi chá tián yīdiǎn. | This cup of tea is a bit sweeter than that one. | |
| 🥪 那个三明治比这个三明治便宜。 | Nàgè sānmíngzhì bǐ zhège sānmíngzhì piányí. | That sandwich is cheaper than this sandwich. | |
| 🚗 我的车比他的车快多了。 | Wǒ de chē bǐ tā de chē kuài duōle. | My car is much faster than his car. |
Than
The particle bǐ 比 places the standard after the thing being compared, so structure is: A bǐ B + adjective/adverb.
Examples
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🏙️ 纽约比旧金山大得多。 | Niǔyuē bǐ Jiùjīnshān dà dé duō. | New York is much larger than San Francisco. | |
| 🍰 我想要比朋友那块蛋糕更大的一块。 | Wǒ xiǎng yào bǐ péngyǒu nà kuài dàngāo gèng dà de yī kuài. | I want a bigger piece of cake than my friend’s. | |
| 🚌 坐地铁比坐公交快。 | Zuò dìtiě bǐ zuò gōngjiāo kuài. | Taking the subway is faster than taking the bus. | |
| 🏡 他们的房子比我们的房子漂亮。 | Tāmen de fángzi bǐ wǒmen de fángzi piàoliang. | Their house is prettier than ours. |
Superlative
Most / Best
Mandarin expresses the superlative with zuì 最 before an adjective or adverb to mark the highest degree.
Examples
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 她是我们中间跑得最快的人。 | Tā shì wǒmen zhōngjiān pǎo de zuì kuài de rén. | She is the fastest runner among us. | |
| 🍣 这家餐厅的寿司最好吃。 | Zhè jiā cāntīng de shòusī zuì hǎo chī. | This restaurant’s sushi is the most delicious. | |
| 🏖️ 夏威夷是我去过最漂亮的地方。 | Xiàwēiyí shì wǒ qùguò zuì piàoliang de dìfāng. | Hawaii is the most beautiful place I’ve been to. | |
| 📚 这本书是老师推荐的最好的一本。 | Zhè běn shū shì lǎoshī tuījiàn de zuì hǎo de yī běn. | This book is the best one recommended by the teacher. |
In Group / Among
To say "the most" within a group, you can add zhōng de 中的 or use phrases like suǒyǒu de 所有的 to specify the set.
Examples
| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🧑🤝🧑 他在朋友中笑得最开怀。 | Tā zài péngyǒu zhōng xiào de zuì kāihuái. | He laughs the brightest among his friends. | |
| 🏆 她是班里跑步跑得最快的学生。 | Tā shì bān lǐ pǎobù pǎo de zuì kuài de xuéshēng. | She is the fastest runner in the class. | |
| 🎨 在画展中，那幅画色彩最鲜艳。 | Zài huàzhǎn zhōng, nà fú huà sècǎi zuì xiānyàn. | Among the paintings, that one is the most colorful. | |
| 🍇 他们在一堆水果中挑出最新鲜的葡萄。 | Tāmen zài yī duī shuǐguǒ zhōng tiāo chū zuì xīnxiān de pútáo. | They picked the freshest grapes from the pile of fruit. |
Very / Extremely
Intensifiers
Adverbs like tèbié 特别, fēicháng 非常, and hěn 很 strengthen an adjective without making a comparison.
Examples
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| Hanzi | Pinyin | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🌶️ 这个辣酱非常辣，我喝了好几口水。 | Zhège làjiàng fēicháng là, wǒ hēle hǎo jǐ kǒu shuǐ. | This hot sauce is very spicy; I drank several mouthfuls of water. | |
| 🧼 昨天洗的衣服干得特别快。 | Zuótiān xǐ de yīfu gān de tèbié kuài. | The clothes I washed yesterday dried especially fast. | |
| 🍞 面包店的新面包极好吃，香气四溢。 | Miànbāo diàn de xīn miànbāo jí hǎochī, xiāngqì sì yì. | The bakery’s new bread is extremely delicious, with a wonderful aroma. | |
| 🛶 河水涨得很高，船差点碰到桥底。 | Héshuǐ zhǎng de hěn gāo, chuán chàdiǎn pèng dào qiáo dǐ. | The river rose very high; the boat almost hit the bridge bottom. |
Summary
comparatives use bǐ and modifiers like gèng for relative degree, while zuì marks the superlative; intensifiers boost degree without comparison.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025