Everything you have learned about the neutral linking 很 — that a plain predicate adjective wants it (他很高) — gets switched off the moment you compare two things. In a 比 (bǐ) sentence the 很 slot disappears completely: "I'm taller than you" is 我比你高, and 我比你很高 is wrong. This trips up nearly every learner, because English keeps "very" and "-er/more" side by side ("much *taller"), while Chinese treats them as rivals for the same slot. This page is a preview — just enough to keep your adjectives correct inside a comparison; the full 比 toolkit (negatives, equality, the whole degree system) lives in the Comparison group, cross-linked below.
比: use the bare adjective, drop 很
The structure is A 比 B + adjective. Nothing else goes in front of the adjective — no 很, no 非常, no 太. The reason is clean: 很 asserts an absolute degree ("high on the scale"), but 比 makes a relative claim ("A exceeds B"). They fight over the same position, and the comparison wins. So the neutral 很 that props up a lone adjective is exactly what you must delete once 比 is present.
我比你高一点儿。
wǒ bǐ nǐ gāo yìdiǎnr
I'm a bit taller than you. — bare 高 after 比, no 很.
今天比昨天热多了。
jīntiān bǐ zuótiān rè duō le
Today is much hotter than yesterday. — 热, not 很热.
坐地铁比开车快。
zuò dìtiě bǐ kāichē kuài
Taking the subway is faster than driving. — 快 stands bare.
Compare the plain, non-comparison version, where 很 is right and normal:
他很高。
tā hěn gāo
He's tall. — a plain statement takes 很…
他比我高。
tā bǐ wǒ gāo
…but the moment we compare, 很 drops: he's taller than me.
How much more? The difference goes after the adjective
To say how much taller, English front-loads it ("much taller," "a bit taller"). Chinese does the opposite: the amount of difference is a complement that follows the adjective. This reversal is the second big trap.
| Difference | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a little | Adj + 一点儿 | 高一点儿 a bit taller |
| a lot | Adj + 得多 / 多了 | 高得多 / 高多了 much taller |
| a set amount | Adj + number + unit | 大三岁 three years older |
我姐姐比我大三岁。
wǒ jiějie bǐ wǒ dà sān suì
My sister is three years older than me. — the amount (三岁) comes after 大.
这个包比那个贵得多。
zhège bāo bǐ nàge guì de duō
This bag is much more expensive than that one. — 贵得多, 'expensive by a lot'.
这条路比那条近一点儿。
zhè tiáo lù bǐ nà tiáo jìn yìdiǎnr
This road is a bit closer than that one. — 近一点儿 for the small difference.
For the difference between 一点儿 "a bit" and its cousin 有点儿, see 一点儿 vs 有点儿; the fuller degree-of-difference patterns are in the Comparison group.
更 / 最 and 没有…那么
Two more pieces round out a first look. 更 (gèng) "even more" and 最 (zuì) "most" do sit in front of the adjective — they are comparison words themselves, not the banned 很. And to say A is not as [adjective] as B, you use A 没有 B (那么) + adjective — again with a bare adjective and no 很.
明天会更冷。
míngtiān huì gèng lěng
Tomorrow will be even colder. — 更 'even more' before the adjective.
她是全班最努力的学生。
tā shì quán bān zuì nǔlì de xuéshēng
She's the hardest-working student in the whole class. — 最 'most'.
弟弟没有哥哥高。
dìdi méiyǒu gēge gāo
The younger brother isn't as tall as the older one. — A 没有 B + adjective.
我的手机没有你的那么新。
wǒ de shǒujī méiyǒu nǐ de nàme xīn
My phone isn't as new as yours. — 没有…那么 + bare adjective.
This is where the preview stops. Negatives beyond 没有, equality (跟…一样), superlatives in depth, and the ordering of complex differences all live in the basic 比 comparison page and its neighbors.
Common Mistakes
1. Slipping 很 into a 比 sentence. The single most common error — 比 and 很 can't co-exist in that slot.
❌ 我比你很高。
Incorrect — no 很 in a 比 sentence. Just 我比你高.
✅ 我比你高。
wǒ bǐ nǐ gāo
I'm taller than you.
2. Using 非常/太 for 'much taller'. An intensifier can't precede the adjective; put the amount after it.
❌ 我比你非常高。
Incorrect — for 'much taller' the amount follows the adjective: 高得多.
✅ 我比你高得多。
wǒ bǐ nǐ gāo de duō
I'm much taller than you.
3. Putting the difference before the adjective. English says 'three years older'; Chinese says 'older by three years'.
❌ 我比你三岁大。
Wrong order — the amount follows the adjective.
✅ 我比你大三岁。
wǒ bǐ nǐ dà sān suì
I'm three years older than you.
4. Adding 很 to a 没有 comparison. The "not as… as" pattern also takes a bare adjective; use 那么, not 很.
❌ 我没有你很高。
Incorrect — 没有 comparison takes a bare adjective; say 我没有你那么高.
✅ 我没有你那么高。
wǒ méiyǒu nǐ nàme gāo
I'm not as tall as you.
Key Takeaways
- In an A 比 B + adjective sentence the adjective is bare — delete 很/非常/太: 我比你高, never *我比你很高.
- The reason: 很 marks an absolute degree, 比 makes a relative one; they compete for the same pre-adjective slot, and 比 wins.
- How much more follows the adjective: 高一点儿 (a bit), 高得多 / 高多了 (a lot), 大三岁 (by three years).
- 更 "even more" and 最 "most" do precede the adjective; A 没有 B (那么) + adjective says "not as… as," also bare.
- This is a preview — the complete comparison system lives in the Comparison group.
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Start learning Chinese→Related Topics
- The 比 Comparative: A 比 B + AdjectiveHSK 1 — The core Chinese comparison is A 比 B + Adjective — 我比你高 (I'm taller than you). 比 means 'compared to', the two things flank it, and the adjective stays plain with no word for '-er'.
- Degree of Difference Goes After the AdjectiveHSK 2 — To say HOW MUCH more, put the amount AFTER the adjective: 高一点 (a bit taller), 高得多 / 高多了 (much taller), 大三岁 (three years older), 高三厘米 (3 cm taller). English fronts the amount; Chinese puts it last.
- 一点儿 vs 有点儿HSK 3 — A classic minimal pair: 有点儿 comes BEFORE the adjective and voices a complaint (有点儿冷 'a bit too cold'); 一点儿 comes AFTER it in a comparison and is neutral (大一点儿 'a bit bigger'). Position tracks meaning.
- The Default 很 (Linking hěn)HSK 1 — A plain predicate adjective normally takes an unstressed 很 (hěn) that does NOT mean 'very' — it is a neutral linker that makes the description sound complete: 我很好 'I'm fine', 他很高 'he's tall'.