If you remember only one rule about the 比 comparative, make it this one: in a 比 sentence, you never put 很, 非常, or 太 in front of the adjective. Say 她比我漂亮 (tā bǐ wǒ piàoliang) "she's prettier than me," and stop there. 她比我很漂亮 is simply wrong — a mistake native speakers spot instantly. This error is so common because everywhere else in Chinese, a predicate adjective seems to demand a 很 in front of it, so learners reach for it by pure reflex. Inside a 比 frame, that reflex is exactly what you must switch off.
Why 很 and 比 cannot coexist
The reason is not arbitrary — it is a genuine clash of meaning. Words like 很 (very), 非常 (extremely), 太 (too) measure an absolute degree: they answer the question "how tall is it in itself?" But 比 measures a relative degree: it answers "taller than what?" These are two different axes. You can locate something on the absolute scale (她很高, "she is tall") or on the relative scale (她比我高, "she is taller than me"), but you cannot bolt an absolute degree onto a relative comparison — the sentence would be trying to say "she is very tall-er-than-me," which makes no sense on either axis.
There is also a deeper redundancy: 比 already contains the idea of "more." Adding 很 to boost it is like saying "more very tall." The comparison itself is the intensity, so a separate intensity word has nothing to attach to.
她比我漂亮。
tā bǐ wǒ piàoliang
She's prettier than me. — correct: the adjective 漂亮 stands completely alone.
这家店比那家便宜。
zhè jiā diàn bǐ nà jiā piányi
This shop is cheaper than that one. — no 很 before 便宜; 比 carries all the weight.
坐飞机比坐火车快。
zuò fēijī bǐ zuò huǒchē kuài
Flying is faster than taking the train. — plain 快, never 很快, inside 比.
What to say instead
The mistake usually happens because you want to add emphasis — "she's much prettier," "she's even taller." Chinese has proper tools for that, they just are not 很. There are exactly two legitimate ways to intensify a 比 comparison, and both are covered on their own pages:
| You want to say… | ❌ Never | ✅ Instead |
|---|---|---|
| …taller than me | 比我很高 | 比我高 |
| …even taller than me | 比我很高 | 比我更高 / 比我还高 |
| …a bit taller than me | 比我很高 | 比我高一点 |
| …much taller than me | 比我非常高 | 比我高得多 / 高多了 |
The first tool is the adverbs 更 (gèng) and 还 (hái), placed before the adjective, both meaning "even more" — see 更 & 还 inside a comparison. Unlike 很, these are relative words ("even more than the already-high B"), so they harmonize with 比 instead of fighting it.
The second tool is a degree-of-difference phrase placed after the adjective — 高一点 (a bit taller), 高得多 (much taller), 高多了 (much taller) — see degree of difference. Notice that "much" in "much taller" is 得多 or 多了, not 很: this is precisely the slot where beginners wrongly grab 很.
他比我更努力。
tā bǐ wǒ gèng nǔlì
He works even harder than me. — 更 is one of the only two intensifiers 比 allows.
今天比昨天还热。
jīntiān bǐ zuótiān hái rè
Today is even hotter than yesterday. — 还 also survives inside 比 (with a hint of 'and yesterday was already hot').
这个比那个贵得多。
zhège bǐ nàge guì de duō
This one is much more expensive than that one. — 'much' is 得多 after the adjective, not 很 before it.
姐姐比妹妹高一点。
jiějie bǐ mèimei gāo yìdiǎn
The older sister is a little taller than the younger one. — a small gap goes after the adjective as 一点.
Common Mistakes
1. The reflexive 很. This is the mistake. It comes straight from drilling 很 as obligatory with predicate adjectives.
❌ 她比我很漂亮。
Incorrect — no 很 in a 比 sentence; say 她比我漂亮.
✅ 她比我漂亮。
tā bǐ wǒ piàoliang
She's prettier than me.
2. Using 非常 to mean 'much (more)'. "Much taller" is not 非常高 inside 比 — it is 高得多 or 高多了.
❌ 这个比那个非常贵。
Incorrect — 非常 can't sit inside 比; for 'much more expensive' say 这个比那个贵得多.
✅ 这个比那个贵得多。
zhège bǐ nàge guì de duō
This one is much more expensive than that one.
3. Slipping in 太. 太 (too) is absolute; it cannot mark a comparison.
❌ 今天比昨天太冷。
Incorrect — drop 太; say 今天比昨天冷 (add 得多 if you mean 'much colder').
✅ 今天比昨天冷得多。
jīntiān bǐ zuótiān lěng de duō
Today is much colder than yesterday.
4. Stacking 很 with 更. Even when reaching for the correct 更, some learners still keep the 很. Only one intensifier, and it is 更 (or 还) alone.
❌ 他比我很更高。
Incorrect — 更 already does the job; drop the 很.
✅ 他比我更高。
tā bǐ wǒ gèng gāo
He's even taller than me.
Key Takeaways
- Never place 很 / 非常 / 太 before the adjective in a 比 sentence. 她比我漂亮, not *她比我很漂亮.
- The reason: 很/非常/太 mark an absolute degree while 比 marks a relative one — different axes that cannot combine — and 比 already means "more."
- To intensify, use the only two allowed adverbs, 更 / 还 ("even more"), before the adjective — see 更 & 还.
- To quantify the gap, use a degree-of-difference phrase after the adjective — 高一点, 高得多, 高多了 — see degree of difference. "Much" here is 得多/多了, never 很.
- The reflex to unlearn: the empty 默认 很 that predicate adjectives normally need vanishes the moment 比 appears.
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- 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'.
- 更 & 还 Inside a ComparisonHSK 3 — 更 (gèng) and 还 (hái) are the only two adverbs a 比 sentence allows, both meaning 'even more': 比你更高 (even taller than you), 比这个还贵 (even more expensive than this). 更 is neutral; 还 adds a note of surprise.
- 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.
- 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'.