The bare 没有 comparison — 我没有你高 — already says "not as tall as you." But Chinese has a more vivid, more common variant that spells the shortfall right out: slip 那么 or 这么 in before the adjective. A 没有 B 那么/这么 + adjective reads "A doesn't reach that much of B's [quality]" — 我没有你那么高, "I'm not that tall — not as tall as you are." The demonstrative degree word points back at B's level and measures A's shortfall against it. This is the frame you'll hear most in real speech, and it comes with one iron rule: the degree word must be 那么 or 这么 — never 很.
The frame: A 没有 B 那么/这么 + adjective
那么 (nàme) means "that much / to that extent"; 这么 (zhème) means "this much / to this extent." Both are demonstratives of degree — they don't set an absolute level, they point. In this frame they point back at B, whose degree becomes the yardstick A falls short of.
| A | 没有 | B | 那么/这么 | adjective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 我 (I) | 没有 | 你 (you) | 那么 (that) | 高 (tall) |
| 这里 (here) | 没有 | 北京 (Beijing) | 那么 | 冷 (cold) |
| 他 (he) | 没有 | 你 (you) | 这么 (this) | 努力 (hardworking) |
我没有你那么高。
wǒ méiyǒu nǐ nàme gāo
I'm not as tall as you (are that tall). (neutral)
这里没有北京那么冷。
zhèlǐ méiyǒu Běijīng nàme lěng
It's not as cold here as it is in Beijing. (informal)
他没有你这么努力。
tā méiyǒu nǐ zhème nǔlì
He isn't as hardworking as you. (informal) — 这么 because the speaker points at 'you', present and near.
那么 or 这么? Distance and vividness
Both are grammatical in most sentences, so the choice is one of stance, not rule. Use 那么 for a standard that is distal, elsewhere, or simply reported; use 这么 when B — or the situation — is near, present, or vivid in front of the speaker.
| Word | Pinyin | Points to | Use when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 那么 | nàme | "that much" | B / the standard is distal, known, or just described — the more frequent default |
| 这么 | zhème | "this much" | B / the situation is near, present, or vividly at hand |
考试没有想象的那么难。
kǎoshì méiyǒu xiǎngxiàng de nàme nán
The exam wasn't as hard as I'd imagined. (informal) — the imagined standard is 'over there', so 那么.
你别担心，没有你想的这么严重。
nǐ bié dānxīn, méiyǒu nǐ xiǎng de zhème yánzhòng
Don't worry — it's not as serious as you think. (informal) — 这么 pulls the listener's present worry close.
这个问题没有你想的那么复杂。
zhège wèntí méiyǒu nǐ xiǎng de nàme fùzá
This problem isn't as complicated as you think. (neutral)
Notice a favourite pattern here: 没有…想的那么/这么… ("not as … as [one] imagined/thinks"). B is a thought — 想象的 (what was imagined), 你想的 (what you think) — and the frame measures reality against that expectation. It's everywhere in reassurance.
今天没有昨天那么热。
jīntiān méiyǒu zuótiān nàme rè
Today isn't as hot as yesterday. (informal)
他汉语说得没有你那么流利。
tā Hànyǔ shuō de méiyǒu nǐ nàme liúlì
He doesn't speak Chinese as fluently as you. (informal) — the frame rides on a 得-complement.
Why 很 is barred
The rule "never 很 here" isn't arbitrary. 很 sets an absolute level ("very"), but a comparison needs a degree that points back to B — and only a demonstrative (那么/这么 = "to that/this extent") can point. 很 has no pointing power, so it can't anchor the shortfall; the same goes for 非常 and 太. This is the deep reason the slot accepts 那么/这么 and nothing else.
我没有你那么高。
wǒ méiyǒu nǐ nàme gāo
I'm not as tall as you. (neutral) — the degree word must point back at B, so it's 那么, not 很.
Common Mistakes
1. Using 很 as the degree word. 很 can't point back at B; the slot takes only 那么/这么.
❌ 我没有你很高。
Wrong — 很 can't sit here. Use 我没有你那么高 (or just 我没有你高).
✅ 我没有你那么高。
wǒ méiyǒu nǐ nàme gāo
I'm not as tall as you. (neutral)
2. Using 非常 / 太 instead. Same problem — they name an absolute level, not a pointed one.
❌ 这里没有北京非常冷。
Wrong — an absolute degree word can't go here: 这里没有北京那么冷.
✅ 这里没有北京那么冷。
zhèlǐ méiyǒu Běijīng nàme lěng
It's not as cold here as in Beijing. (informal)
3. Putting 那么/这么 after the adjective. The degree word precedes the adjective it scales.
❌ 他没有你努力那么。
Wrong order — the degree word comes before the adjective: 他没有你那么努力.
✅ 他没有你那么努力。
tā méiyǒu nǐ nàme nǔlì
He isn't as hardworking as you. (informal)
4. Bringing 那么/这么 into an equality sentence. For "as … as" (equal), the word is 一样, not 那么/这么.
❌ 我跟你那么高。
Wrong frame — for equality use 一样: 我跟你一样高. 那么/这么 belongs to the 没有 frame.
✅ 我没有你那么高。
wǒ méiyǒu nǐ nàme gāo
I'm not as tall as you. (neutral)
Key Takeaways
- A 没有 B 那么/这么 + adjective spells out "not as … as": 我没有你那么高.
- The degree word is optional but emphatic — it points back at B's level and measures A's shortfall.
- 那么 for a distal, known, or reported standard (the default); 这么 for one that's near, present, or vivid.
- 很、非常、太 are all barred — only the demonstratives 那么/这么 can point back at B.
- The degree word goes before the adjective, and this frame is for inferiority only — equality is 跟…一样.
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- 'Not As … As': A 没有 BHSK 2 — The negative of a 比 comparison is 没有, not 不比: A 没有 B + adjective = 'A is not as … as B' — 我没有你高 'I'm not as tall as you'. Literally 'A doesn't have B's height', with the adjective staying positive.
- The Subtle 不比HSK 4 — 不比 (bùbǐ) doesn't mean 'less than' — A 不比 B + adj says 'A is no more … than B', a contrastive hedge that often implies the two are about equal: 我不比你高 = I'm no taller than you.
- A 不如 B: Inferior ToHSK 4 — 不如 (bùrú) is a compact, slightly formal 'not as good as / inferior to': 我不如他聪明 (I'm not as smart as him), 走路不如坐车快 (walking isn't as fast as driving), plus the set pattern 与其…不如… (rather than… better…).