Comparing Verbs and Actions with 比 | Chinese (Mandarin) Grammar

So far 比 has compared qualities — who is taller, which is cheaper. But 比 also compares actions: how fast someone runs, how fluently they speak, how much they like something. The trick is that an action can't be compared bare — you need a slot for the thing actually being measured. Chinese supplies two mechanisms: the 得 manner complement (他跑得快, "he runs fast"), into which 比 slides; and for verbs of liking and wanting, the adverb 更. Master these and you can compare not just what things are but what people do.

Comparing how an action is done: the 得 complement

To describe the manner or degree of an action, Chinese uses Verb + 得 + Adjective: 跑得快 "runs fast," 说得流利 "speaks fluently," 来得早 "comes early" (see the manner 得 complement). The adjective after 得 is the real point of comparison, so a 比 comparison of an action always ends in that adjective — plain, with no 很, exactly as in a normal 比 sentence.

There are two acceptable word orders, and both are fully standard:

Order	Structure	Example
比 before the verb	A 比 B + V 得 + Adj	他比我跑得快
比 before the adjective	A + V 得 + 比 B + Adj	他跑得比我快

他比我跑得快。

tā bǐ wǒ pǎo de kuài

He runs faster than me. — 比我 sits before the verb; the compared adjective 快 comes last.

他跑得比我快。

tā pǎo de bǐ wǒ kuài

He runs faster than me. — same meaning, with 比我 tucked in right before 快.

💡

Whichever order you choose, the sentence must end in the plain adjective (快, 好, 早…) and must keep 得. Think of 得 as the hinge that lets an action be graded — drop it and there's nothing for 比 to compare.

The two orders in detail

The two positions for 比 are freely interchangeable in most sentences, so pick whichever feels natural. The 比 before the adjective order (跑得比我快) puts the spotlight tightly on the manner and is very common in speech; the 比 before the verb order (比我跑得快) foregrounds the two people being compared. Neither is more "correct."

她比我说得流利。

tā bǐ wǒ shuō de liúlì

She speaks more fluently than me. — 比 before the verb 说.

她说得比我流利。

tā shuō de bǐ wǒ liúlì

She speaks more fluently than me. — the same idea, 比 before 流利.

我比你来得早。

wǒ bǐ nǐ lái de zǎo

I arrive earlier than you. — 来得早 (come-early) graded by 比.

你比我起得晚。

nǐ bǐ wǒ qǐ de wǎn

You get up later than me. — 起得晚, a very everyday complaint.

Verbs of liking and wanting: add 更

Some verbs — 喜欢 (like), 爱 (love), 想 (want to), 希望 (hope) — express an inner degree rather than an observable manner, and they don't take a 得 complement here. With these, the natural comparison places 更 after 比: 我比你更喜欢中国菜. The 更 supplies the "more" that gives the comparison its teeth; without it the sentence sounds unfinished.

我比你更喜欢中国菜。

wǒ bǐ nǐ gèng xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài

I like Chinese food even more than you do. — a liking verb takes 更, not a 得 complement.

他比我更想去日本。

tā bǐ wǒ gèng xiǎng qù Rìběn

He wants to go to Japan even more than I do. — 想 (want) also pairs with 更.

妈妈比爸爸更爱看电视剧。

māma bǐ bàba gèng ài kàn diànshìjù

Mum loves watching TV dramas even more than Dad does. — 爱 (love to) with 更.

Handling an object: copy the verb

When the action has an object, you can't just append 得 to the verb — the object gets in the way. Chinese repeats the verb: state the verb-plus-object, then say the verb again with 得 (see verb-copying with 得). The 比 phrase then attaches as usual.

他说中文说得比我好。

tā shuō Zhōngwén shuō de bǐ wǒ hǎo

He speaks Chinese better than me. — 中文 is the object, so the verb 说 is copied: 说中文, then 说得比我好.

她写字写得比我漂亮。

tā xiě zì xiě de bǐ wǒ piàoliang

She writes characters more beautifully than me. — 写字 then 写得比我漂亮.

Common Mistakes

1. Dropping 得. Without 得 there is no slot for the graded adjective.

❌ 他比我跑快。

Incorrect — a graded action needs 得: 他比我跑得快 (or 他跑得比我快).

✅ 他比我跑得快。

tā bǐ wǒ pǎo de kuài

He runs faster than me.

2. Splitting 得 from its verb. 得 must stay glued to the verb it follows; 比 goes before the verb or before the final adjective, never between 跑 and 得.

❌ 他跑比我得快。

Incorrect — 得 belongs right after 跑; say 他跑得比我快.

✅ 他跑得比我快。

tā pǎo de bǐ wǒ kuài

He runs faster than me.

3. Using 很 with a liking verb instead of 更. The banned-很 rule holds here too; the comparison marker is 更.

❌ 我比你很喜欢中国菜。

Incorrect — use 更, not 很: 我比你更喜欢中国菜.

✅ 我比你更喜欢中国菜。

wǒ bǐ nǐ gèng xǐhuan Zhōngguó cài

I like Chinese food even more than you do.

4. Forgetting to copy the verb before an object. You can't say 他说中文得比我好; the verb must be repeated.

❌ 他说中文得比我好。

Incorrect — copy the verb: 他中文说得比我好 (or 他说中文说得比我好).

✅ 他中文说得比我好。

tā Zhōngwén shuō de bǐ wǒ hǎo

He speaks Chinese better than me.

Key Takeaways

比 compares actions, not just qualities. The thing measured is the adjective in a 得 complement: 他比我跑得快 / 他跑得比我快 (both correct, same meaning).
Two word orders work: 比 before the verb (比我跑得快) or 比 before the final adjective (跑得比我快). Either way, keep 得 and end in a plain adjective.
Verbs of liking and wanting (喜欢, 爱, 想, 希望) don't take a 得 complement here — add 更 after 比: 我比你更喜欢中国菜.
With an object, copy the verb: 他中文说得比我好 (see verb-copying).
The no-很 rule still applies: use 更, not 很, and never drop the 得.

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